All That Glitters
by Cardinal001
Summary: After the team comes home from the San Lorenzo job, Hardison and Parker try to sort out their feelings for each other.
1. Little Things

**Disclaimer: Leverage is (c) 2009 Leverage Holdings Inc.**

**Little Things**

John McRory's Place was dark, which was hardly surprising, as it was just after two o'clock in the morning. The sign on the door proclaimed the bar to be closed. All the chairs had been stacked onto the tables, awaiting the next day when they would be taken down and used to accommodate the bar's patrons.

The lock clicked and the door opened, allowing five people to walk in. The first two, a man and a woman, immediately set about the task of switching the lights on and pouring drinks. They said nothing but occasionally stole glances at each other. Their names were Nathan Ford and Sophie Devereaux – Nate still didn't know her real name so he continued to refer to her as Sophie, much to everyone else's amusement. Sophie smiled at him and he smiled back as they brought out five small glasses and poured the bar's most expensive scotch into them.

The third person through the door was much more vocal as he approached the bar.

"Yeah man! That's what I'm talking about!" Alec Hardison was in the mood to celebrate. "We took down Moreau, a corrupt president and freed a country at the same time! To my mind that's a reason to paaaaartaaaaay!"

Nate and Sophie looked at each other other and shook their heads. Sometimes they felt like the parents of an unruly child.

Close on Hardison's heels was a petite blonde girl of roughly the same age. While she was not as loud in her entrance she nonetheless had a huge grin across her face. The girl, known to everyone only as Parker, called across to Sophie.

"Hey Sophie! You think you can get me some of that new money they're going to print with your face on it? It'll look great next to my other world currencies!" She hopped up onto the barstool next to Hardison and beamed at him.

The final person through the door did not look like he was in the mood to celebrate. This was hardly surprising as anyone who knew Eliot Spencer believed his scowl was permanently stuck to his face. Considering his past and the things he had done for Moreau – none of which the team knew about, and they all wanted to keep it that way – he had very little to be happy about.

Hardison was still in full flow. "Sophie's face? Sophie's? Girl, they should put all our faces on their notes!"

Sophie leaned her chin onto her cupped hands and smiled at Hardison. "Well, Hardison," she began in her well-educated English accent – whether real or not no one knew, "If that's how you feel then the next time we go abroad you can be the fiance of the presidential candidate and get shot in the chest by the president's security forces."

Hardison shut his mouth and glared at her.

"I'm just saying," Sophie continued, "It's really not that hard."

Parker grinned and patted Hardison's arm. "Don't worry. Next country we go to I'll make sure to steal a printing press for you."

"Careful Hardison," Eliot growled, the first words he had spoken since entering, "She might actually do it."

As they laughed and drank and celebrated their success, Eliot took the chance to look over his team mates. His job was to observe his targets and find out their strengths and weaknesses and he put his skills to use now. It was all about spotting the little things.

Nate was a remarkable person. He had lost his son, his wife, his job, his reputation, everything and he made his living gambling what little he had left on the wildest risks Eliot had ever seen. That Nate not only survived but beat the odds was all the more amazing. It seemed to Eliot that Nate lived for the thrill of the moment when plans succeeded or failed.

Sophie on the other hand was a different matter. Eliot knew her real name but could still only think of her as Sophie. She had known Nate the longest out of any of them and was obviously in love with him, as he was with her. They had probably the most dysfunctional relationship he had ever seen as they danced around each other. Every time one of them seemed to be making progress or getting through, the other would do something to bring it crashing down back to the start. Eliot was no fool. He had smelled Sophie's perfume – it was a very distinctive smell – back in Nate's hotel room in San Lorenzo and knew exactly what had happened. He just hoped that this time they could make it work instead of doing what they usually did and messing it all up.

Parker was unique. Actually she was completely crazy. Eliot remembered the first time he saw her and the description he had used then was still valid now – twenty pounds of crazy with a five pound bag. There was something innocent about her though. He didn't know much about her childhood but the little he did know pointed to a life worse than his own. The things that had been done to her had been so bad that the fact that she still had something of the wide eyed innocent little girl about her was a miracle in itself. It was as if she had locked that girl inside her years ago and had only recently let her out to play. Her eagerness for Christmas had shown that, even if it did get a bit too much. Although he wouldn't admit it, Eliot considered her to be the little sister he never had.

Hardison could be summed up in one word: geek. He was proud of it too. While Eliot's idea of a good time would be a night on the town with girls hanging off each arm, Hardison would be more than happy to sit in his room with nothing but his laptop, cracking the most secure firewalls and systems known to man. But there was another side to him, and that side was currently sitting on the barstool next to him. Just as Eliot knew Nate and Sophie were in love with each other, so he also knew that Hardison had rather a large crush on Parker. And it seemed that the pretty blonde thief also had feelings for him, but who could tell? All they had to do was to admit their feelings for each other but neither one would – Hardison was too wrapped up in his ones and zeroes and Parker had never been given the chance to explore her emotions. Eliot shook his head. Life was passing them by and they were just letting it.

And Eliot himself? He was a hitter. His job was to watch everyone else's back. That was it. Although, ever since the job where he pretended to be a country music star, other ideas had been springing up into his head. Ideas like the one he was having now. Mumbling something to the others he fished out his phone and left the bar, punching a number in as he went through the door.

After Eliot left Hardison leaned over to Parker. "So, uh, I seem to remember something about you wanting pretzels?" he asked quietly.

Parker nodded quickly. "Nate?" she called out, "I want pretzels!"

Nate fished behind the bar and brought out a small bag. Parker accepted them gratefully and tore the bag open and started munching. Hardison's face fell, although she didn't seem to notice.

"Oh, uh, I thought you meant..." he struggled to find the words.

"Want one?" Parker asked brightly and held out the bag to him.

"No... no thanks. You knock yourself out. I uh... I'm gonna head home." With that, he left the bar and made his way back to his flat. Parker grinned at Sophie and Nate as she crunched her way through the pretzels.

…

Hardison's flat was a rather spacious affair. A bedroom, a bathroom, a joint kitchen and lounge area. He kicked the door closed and flicked the lights on. He felt hollow inside. Parker of course would have had no idea what she was saying or how she had made him feel but it still hurt. He had honestly thought he was getting through to her. Obviously he was as far away as ever.

He looked at his watch. Half past three. He didn't feel tired so going to bed was no use. Instead he made sure all the curtains on the windows were closed and headed towards a cabinet near the bedroom.

_Eliot and Nate were sitting at a table in the bar opposite __Jane Akinyemi, explaining to her that Alexander Moto was finished._

"_We, uh, we have this for you," Nate said, handing Jane a cheque for five million dollars._

_Jane tried to refuse it. "No... no... the diamonds..."_

"_Have nothing to do with that," Nate explained. "See what happened was, we, uh, we ended up with this Stradivarius and we thought that the money could be used for the good people of Watada, maybe a music foundation for the kids? You could set that up." He paused and indicated Eliot. "It was his idea."_

In spite of how Hardison was feeling he smiled. What no one else but Nate knew was that _he_ was the one who had bought the Stradivarius. He had even used his own money to pay for it. He was still upset at how Nate had used hypnosis to get him to play it but even he had to admit there were some benefits. Being able to express his feelings through the violin was just one of them.

Hardison took out the violin and tuned it, closing his eyes as he listened to the pitch of the strings and gently turning the knobs to tighten them. Finally satisfied he picked up the bow and started to play. The space within his apartment added to the acoustics.

As he lost himself in the music he allowed his thoughts and feelings to flow through him and into the instrument. He loved Parker, there was no other way to describe it. Ever since their trip to Serbia where her mask had slipped when confronted with the orphans he had felt some sort of pull towards her. When the team had split up after the job with the David statues he had asked her where she was going and she had all but outright asked him to look for her. Well he had looked. Hard. For six months. He thought he had come close on several occasions but each time she had managed to slip away. After a while he wondered if she wanted him to find her, and then they all met up again in Boston. As they took on new jobs Hardison found his feelings towards her changing. At first he thought it was because he had missed the others and was glad they were all back together, then he realised he had missed _her_ and was glad she was back. After that the rest is, as they say, history.

He hoped that Parker would one day be here, sitting on the sofa right there, legs tucked under her chin, listening to him as he poured his heart out to her through the music, with that wide-eyed innocent look in her eyes that she always had. He shook his head slightly. Some day maybe, but not today.

Hardison paused for a small moment. Had he heard something? Like a quiet sniffle? No, he couldn't hear anything else. He must have imagined it or it must have come from another flat upstairs. He carried on playing for another half an hour before he felt he could finally go to bed.

He never saw the curtain move slightly, never heard the subdued click as the window quietly closed, never heard the soft _zip_ as something weighing approximately twenty pounds shot down a rope to the ground.

And he certainly never found the pretzel that had been accidentally dropped onto the floor.

…

Parker untangled the line and packed it away into her pack. She had nearly been caught! How could she have made that slip? She could hear Archie in the back of her mind scolding her for such a schoolgirl mistake.

She hated herself for doing this to Hardison. Actually she hated herself for a lot of other things. Well, maybe _hate_ is too strong a word, maybe _dislike_ would be more appropriate. Okay, perhaps not exactly _dislike_ but...

_Anyway_, the point was that she had no idea what to do. If she was presented with a vault in a bank she would have found twelve different ways of stealing its contents before the person showing her finished speaking. Museums and art galleries were just playgrounds to her. But this... this... this _thing_ with Hardison was completely new territory for her.

Sophie would have been able to tell her what it was, only Sophie would have told her it was love. Only that couldn't be right, because Parker didn't love anyone. She never had loved anyone. She...

She suddenly realised that she didn't know _how_ to love. Sure she liked Hardison a lot and was always happy when he was around. And there was that time when Hardison was with that girl and she crushed a beer bottle with her bare hands and spouted something about pretzels. But love? She could never love anybody. She couldn't.

Could she?

Parker shook her head. She was being silly. Sleep. That was what she needed. Sleep and Bunny. Yes. She looked at the bag of pretzels she was still carrying and counted the ones that were left.

One missing. Parker looked back up at Hardison's window. Maybe he'd never find it. Maybe he'd never know she'd been there.

For some reason the thought saddened her.

…

That night the two of them slept, images of the other spinning through their minds, each wondering how the other really felt about them.

It was all about the little things.

* * *

**A/N I don't know if I've ever enjoyed a show as much as Leverage, and I don't know if I've ever enjoyed characters as much as Hardison and Parker. Well maybe Lost, but that's another story.**

**Anyway this is my first (only? I have no idea) Leverage fanfiction. I'm not sure how it'll turn out. I hope it'll go well and you all will enjoy reading it as much as I enjoy writing it.  
**


	2. Massively Multiplayer

**Disclaimer: Leverage is (c) 2009 Leverage Holdings Inc. That's according to the DVD box anyway.  
**

**Massively Multiplayer**

[Username]:

[Password]:

[Authentication Code]:

Hardison smiled as the familiar login box appeared on his screen. This was one of the few things he actually paid for out of his own money. Of course, he had cracked the authentication algorithms and could enter any of a dozen numbers and have them accepted, but he had only done that as a challenge for himself. He felt it was important to support video games companies as much as possible and he had a particular dislike of piracy.

It was the day after their return from San Lorenzo. There were no clients or jobs lined up for the foreseeable future and Nate had given them all some much needed time off, on the understanding that if something were to come up they would all be straight back. So Hardison decided to spend his time catching up on what he had missed on the online world.

He entered his details, selected his character – a level 85 troll shaman named Noseslasher – and pressed the button to enter the world. He sat back and cracked his knuckles. The mighty Noseslasher had returned to the ancient world, ready to dispense justice and right wrongs and visit elemental vengeance upon Alliance scum. The loading bar finally filled and Hardison leaned forward to see what wonders were in store for him today.

[Aggbbbrbrbru says]: Greeting friend! Visit .am for all you gold need! We offer 10 gold for 4 USD! Do not delay for this limited time offer! You gold is wait for you!

Hardison shook his head in disbelief. Gold farmers. He still couldn't get his head round the fact that there were people out there who, rather than actually play the game they had paid money for and earn rewards like gear and mounts the proper way, were willing to pay even more money to disreputable companies to have it delivered to them at someone else's expense. He was acutely aware of how hypocritical an opinion this was for him to have but hacking into a corrupt CEO's account and cleaning out all his funds was one thing. Cheating at video games was just _wrong_.

He sent off a report to the game's administrators about the gold spammer and looked around for something to do. After the latest expansion there were more places to visit and more quests to take but for now he decided to visit some of the lower-level areas as they didn't seem to have changed all that much. Plus, he liked finding people new to the game and helping them to get started on their way. There were surprisingly very few players willing to do that and so he saw it as doing his bit for the community. Also, you never knew who might be on the other end.

He hadn't been to the elf starting zone recently so decided that might be a good place to go. The journey took him about half an hour. It would normally have taken about ten minutes but Hardison was in no rush. He just wanted to take in the scenery and enjoy the ride. He finally reached the elves' capital city, its golden computer generated spires reaching majestically into the blue sky, and started wandering around looking for someone who might need help.

He didn't have to look for long. He saw an elf, a female with blond hair in a wavy ponytail – quite a common style for people new to the game – who appeared to be either lost or unsure what to do. Probably both. She would walk forward a few paces, then turn around and walk back, then move to the side and back again. Her name, according to the text above her character, was Anoniel and so Hardison opened a chat box to her.

[Noseslasher says]: Hi there, you ok? Need any help?

A few seconds later he received a reply.

[Anoniel says]: Hi, I've only just started playing this game and I have no idea what to do.

[Noseslasher says]: That's not a problem. I'll give you a hand. Unless you're waiting for someone else that is.

[Anoniel says]: No, not really. My friend loves this game and I thought I'd give it a go, see what it was all about. It looks really nice.

[Noseslasher says]: That's good. You meeting your friend here or is she going to tell you to go somewhere else?

[Anoniel says]: It's a he actually. He's a really nice guy. And no. I don't even know what his little person thing looks like.

Hardison smiled when he read that. She seemed nice enough. If it was a she of course, you could never be one hundred percent sure. He started typing again.

[Noseslasher says]: No problem. I'll stick around until he shows up. If that's okay with you of course.

[Anoniel says]: Would you? That would be great. You seem like a really great guy.

[Noseslasher says]: *blush* Thanks. Look, come over here to where I am. This is the starting point.

For the next hour or so Hardison helped Anoniel with the first few quests. He was careful not to tell her exactly what to do but offered hints as to where to go and what to look for and, more importantly, how to fight the monsters that inhabited the world. Along the way he started to chat to her a bit more.

[Noseslasher says]: Right click on his body. No the other one. So you and your friend, are you...?

[Anoniel says]: Are we what? What was that?

[Noseslasher says]: Archer. Better run up close for those ones. Are you going out with each other?

[Anoniel says]: Ah he got me. No nothing like that although...

The next few lines of text came slowly as though she was thinking about what to say.

[Anoniel says]: I kind of wish we were. I mean, I really like him. He does all these little things for me and I don't really say thank you for them. He is such a nice guy and he's never mean to me even when other people are.

_Sounds like me and Parker,_ Hardison thought to himself with a smile. He didn't say anything though and let her continue.

[Anoniel says]: It's just that I don't know how to tell him that I like him. It should be easy but it's not. I've never really been able to tell others how I feel about anything. I...

There was a long pause.

[Anoniel says]: I think I love him, but I have no idea how to tell him that. What if he doesn't love me back? What if he only sees me as a friend? It's hard. I've never been like this before.

Hardison nodded, even though he knew she couldn't see him. He could well relate to that.

[Noseslasher says]: I know what you mean. Sometimes it's easier to tell a complete stranger more about yourself and your feelings than someone you know. On here it's just a few lines of text.

[Noseslasher says]: Seriously though, you should try to tell him how you feel. I know it's hard but you'll both be better for it. Watch out! Mage behind you!

[Anoniel says]: Got him, thanks. And thanks for the advice. I'll try but it might be a while before I'm able to.

[Noseslasher says]: It'll be worth it for both of you. By the way, Anoniel's a nice name. Did you come up with that yourself?

[Anoniel says]: No, I got it from some website that spits out random names. I just liked the look of it. Whoops! Got attacked from the side there!

[Noseslasher says]: It's an elite. There we go, that's done him

[Anoniel says]: What about you? You seem to know a lot about girls. Do you have a girlfriend?

[Noseslasher says]: No. I'm like you. There's someone I work with who I like but things haven't really gone anywhere yet. I mean, I like her and I'm pretty sure she likes me but we just haven't been able to tell each other how we feel.

[Anoniel says]: We make a good pair don't we? :) Come on, I need to find some sort of treasure around here for the quest. By the way, thanks for helping me with this. I really appreciate it.

[Noseslasher says]: My pleasure. I enjoy doing it. There's not enough people willing to help the new guys. Pity really.

Hardison suddenly had an idea.

[Noseslasher says]: Do you have a microphone by any chance?

[Anoniel says]: Yes, it's built into the computer. Why?

[Noseslasher says]: If you want I can help you set it up then we can talk to each other. It'll save breaking off in the middle of a fight to type stuff.

[Anoniel says]: Sure, sounds good to me. What do I do?

Hardison patiently walked her through plugging her microphone in and configuring it to work with the game. There were a couple of times he had to go back over a step but eventually she was ready.

[Noseslasher says]: Okay, now just push the tab button to talk.

He made sure his own microphone was ready and his loudspeakers were on. Soon a voice came over them.

"...this working? Hello? Can you hear me?"

Hardison couldn't believe his ears. He sat back in his chair, stunned. He would know that voice anywhere. He heard it on a daily basis after all.

"Parker?"

"Ha... Hardison?"

The elf on the screen suddenly vanished and a message appeared in the chat box.

[Anoniel has been deleted from the game].

Hardison just sat dumbfounded, looking at the screen. He didn't even react when a large beast came along and slaughtered Noseslasher. He didn't even reach for the mouse to resurrect his character.

His mind was in a turmoil. He had been talking to Parker all this time! All the while she had been talking about her friend that she had feelings for she had been talking about him! And all he had told her to do was to say how she felt! How could he have been so stupid?

At the same time his insides were leaping with joy. Parker did love him! She was just too nervous to say anything! If he had died at that very moment he would have died a happy man.

Then his insides grew still. Parker had no idea how to cope with what she was feeling. He would have to play things very carefully and patiently or else she would run away from him like she had done just now.

Why couldn't things be easier?

Hardison was interrupted in his thoughts by his phone bleeping, indicating a text message had just been received. He picked it up and turned it on. There was one new message.

_We have a new job._

_Nate_

Hardison sighed. It looked like the holidays were over. He would have to figure out what to do about Parker later.

He just hoped she was still talking to him.

* * *

**A/N Something a bit different? I tried to make the game as generic as possible but yeah it's still kind of obvious which one it is. I hope it was easy to understand. It made my hands hurt writing all those brackets!**

**Anyway there's still a lot more to come so thanks for reading so far.  
**


	3. The Butch Cassidy Job

**Disclaimer: Leverage is (c) 2009 Leverage Holdings Inc.**

**The Butch Cassidy And The Sundance Kid Job**

_Earlier that day:_

Nathan Ford was sitting at a table in John McRory's, nursing a single malt. He was thinking about this apparent new phase in his relationship with Sophie, realising that he still did not know her real name.

He was so lost in his thoughts he didn't notice the shadow looming over him until he heard a nervous cough, as if someone was clearing their throat but didn't really want to be noticed. Nate looked up to see a rather diminutive looking man in a decidedly ill-fitting suit. The man was fairly rotund and his high domed head appeared to have burst through his hairline. His forehead was bright red with sweat and the man continually wiped it with his handkerchief as he peered at Nate through thick spectacles.

"Ex... Excuse me, are you Nathan Ford?" the man asked with a nervous stammer.

Nate leaned back in his chair. "Possibly. Can I help you?"

The man collapsed into the chair opposite with relief. "Thank you. My name is Edward Carlson, but my friends call me Ed." He stopped with a slight giggle but Nate just sat there impassively. Carlson swallowed and continued speaking. "I work at First Boston Independent Bank." He stopped again as if that was all the explanation needed.

Nate stirred restlessly in his chair. "I'm very happy for you Mr Carlson, but what exactly do you want from me? You're not here to offer me a fixed-rate no-interest loan are you?"

Carlson laughed sharply, a high pitched noise which made other people turn and look at him strangely. "No, no nothing like that! See I... I have this problem you see. About two weeks ago First Boston Independent took delivery of a large amount of gold bullion." He leaned forward to whisper to Nate. "Approximately fourteen billion dollars worth in market value." In spite of his best efforts Nate's eyebrows shot up. Carlson saw this and quickly shook his head. "Oh no, we're not keeping it. See we're only holding it temporarily. It's due to be transferred onwards on its way to the Federal Reserve."

"Good for America! But what does this have to do with me?" Despite his tone, Nate was starting to get interested.

"Well see a couple of days ago I overheard the bank manager talking on the phone. He was talking about expecting a delivery of gold within the next few days. I of course told him there must be some mistake as the gold was already here but he told me to shut up and keep quiet to everyone else. Then I started to hear rumours that someone would try to switch the gold at the bank for fake gold."

"And you're concerned that this new gold delivery is a cover story?"

"Yes! That's it! Well if it did happen it would be my job on the line because I'm in charge of the gold. Mr Ford, I have a wife and two daughters. I can't lose my job!"

"Can't you go to the police?" Nate asked.

Carlson shook his head. "No! Think what that would do for the bank's reputation. No I need this to be kept quiet."

Nate slowly nodded. "Vary well, Mr Carlson. I'll tell you what I'm going to do. My team will keep an eye on the bank and any traffic going in and out and investigate anything suspicious. If there is anything going on we'll make sure it gets stopped. Will that do for you?"

Carlson nodded enthusiastically. "Oh yes indeed. Thank you Mr Ford!" He stood up and shook Nate's hand enthusiastically in both of his own, a little too enthusiastically for Nate's liking. Nate eventually managed to extricate his hand from Carlson's grip and patted him on the shoulder.

"Don't worry Mr Carlson. Everything will be fine."

Carlson practically danced his way out of the bar. Nate sighed and pulled out his phone. He saw movement out of the corner of his eye and turned to see Sophie sitting at the bar sipping a cocktail. She saw him and raised her eyebrows. Nate shrugged and sent text messages to Eliot, Hardison and Parker from his phone.

…

"So wait waitwaitwaitwait," Hardison interrupted Nate's briefing. "So you're telling us that fourteen billion dollars worth of gold is just sitting in First Boston Independent bank?"

"That's what he just said, idiot." Eliot growled from next to him.

Hardison ignored him and looked over to Parker, trying to catch her eye, but her gaze was fixed on the table in front of them. Hardison's heart sank. He had hoped that she would still be talking to him, but after the incident earlier it looked like it might be a long time before that would happen.

"Calm down guys, we're not here to steal it." Nate pressed a button on the remote and the image of a security van flashed up onto the screens. "We're here to steal this. Hardison?"

Hardison caught the remote as Nate threw it to him and stood up. He glanced at Parker again but she staunchly refused to look at him or acknowledge his presence. He sighed and walked up to stand in front of the screens.

"According to the bank's records they are expecting a visit from a security van. The contents of the van are being kept hush-hush but thanks to my mad hacker skills," he broke off momentarily as Eliot snorted, "As I was saying, thanks to my skills I was able to find this."

He clicked the remote and a clip from a CCTV camera started to play. The clip showed what looked like the inside of a garage. The security van was there with its back doors open and men dressed in security uniforms were loading crates into it. The tops of the crates were loose and a gleam of the contents could be seen. Hardison paused the clip and zoomed in on one of the crates. The markings stencilled onto the side clearly read "Federal Reserve".

"Now this ties in to what your buddy Ed told you," Hardison said to Nate, "The number and size of the crates are about right for fourteen billion dollars worth of gold."

"So they're going to drive the van to the bank and swap the gold for the fake gold and no one will be any the wiser. By the time the gold is ready to move on to the Federal Reserve they'll be well away with the real stuff. Smooth." Sophie said. Parker glanced up sharply for the briefest of moments then returned to her study of the desk just as quickly.

"So we know they're going to hit the bank. So what do we do about it?" Eliot asked in his coarse voice.

"It's quite simple," Nate grinned, "We hijack the truck while it's en route to the bank."

"Like Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid?" Eliot asked. Hardison shook his head.

"No, uh-uh, I saw that movie. They both died at the end. They got surrounded by millions of soldiers and were gunned down."

"I like this plan more and more by the second!" Eliot grinned evilly at Hardison. Hardison just glared at him.

"No-one's going to get gunned down." Nate couldn't help chuckling at Eliot's antics. He glanced at Sophie and saw she was smiling. To other people it looked like Eliot genuinely hated Hardison but Nate knew he was just playing with him. It was just like being a parent to a pair of squabbling brothers... he stopped that train of thought before it led him to somewhere he didn't want to go and turned back to Hardison.

"Do we know the route the van is going to take?" he asked.

Hardison huffed. "Do we know? Do we know? What kind of hacker do you think I am? Of course we know!" He clicked the remote again and a map of the city filled the screen. A line in green drew itself across the map. It looked like a fairly circuitous route to the bank.

Nate studied the map for a few seconds. "Okay, what's this area here?" he asked, pointing at a section where the green line looked fairly straight. Hardison zoomed in and displayed photos of the area.

"Disused office blocks. Been empty for a couple of years. Still good condition though, it's just that there's better space for companies elsewhere."

"What about that one?" Nate pointed at the block that was closest to the road.

"Used to belong to a law firm. They filed for bankruptcy seven months ago and no-one's been in there since. Place is locked up tight until someone else buys it." Hardison brought up close up views of the building in question.

Nate nodded. "That'll do fine. Parker?" Parker was still fixed on the desk and didn't answer. "Parker?" Still no response. "PARKER!" She flinched and finally looked up. Hardison noticed with dismay that she was still avoiding his gaze.

Nate carried on as if nothing had happened. "Parker, I need you to get into this building and get onto one of the higher floors. That'll give you a good vantage point. Once you see it let us know and we'll take it from there."

"And where will we be?" Sophie asked.

Nate took the remote from Hardison and zoomed the map back out. "You, me and Eliot will be here." He indicated a spot on the road about a mile away from the building, half a mile away from the bank. "When we hear from Parker we'll engineer a roadblock. I'm thinking a car crash. Me and Sophie will be drivers who collide at the lights. All very innocent, all very messy. When the van gets caught up in the tailback Eliot can do his thing and commandeer it. Then we drive off into the sunset."

"What about me? What do I do?" Hardison asked.

"We'll need you here. If we can make the people at the bank think the van is still on its way they'll start moving the gold. Then you put a call in to the cops and they get caught red handed. It'll look like an inside job. The crooks go down and Mr Carlson gets to keep his job. Maybe even get a promotion out of it."

"Sounds simple enough." Sophie mused.

"Sounds like we're dealing with simple guys." Eliot said to her. "This should be a piece of cake."

"Parker? You with us?" Nate asked. Parker nodded her head sharply. Hardison tried to catch her eye but she ignored him.

"Okay guys, let's go steal us the Federal Reserve!" Nate said and walked away to the door.

…

On their way out Hardison caught up to Parker. "Hey, we okay?" he asked.

Parker nodded, still not turning to face him. "Of course. Why wouldn't we be?"

"Well you seemed to be avoiding me in there."

"What do you want me to say?" Parker hissed, "I'm sorry Hardison but I need some space. I'm still trying to sort things out in my mind."

"Okay Mama, whatever you say." Hardison backed off, raising his hands. "I'm still here if you need me though."

Parker finally turned and smiled warmly at him. "Thanks. I do appreciate it. Honestly I do. I just need a bit of time" With that she walked away to get the equipment she would need for breaking into the office building.

Hardison watched her go. He realised he was grinning like a fool.

Maybe all wasn't lost after all.

* * *

**A/N I hope this is all making some kind of sense. Unlike the fine people behind the show I haven't really done my research for this. It sounds good anyway, to me at least**.

**Next chapter should be up in a couple of days.**


	4. Countdown

**Disclaimer: Leverage is (c) 2009 Leverage Holdings Inc.**

**Countdown**

"Okay guys," Nate said as he, Sophie, Parker and Eliot were driving along in his car, "The convoy is due to move off in..."

"Fifteen minutes," Hardison supplied the time. He was back at the apartment monitoring communications and overseeing the whole operation.

"Fifteen minutes, so let's start getting into position." Nate looked at the car clock. "Now the convoy will take twenty minutes to reach the bank, which means it will reach Parker in twelve minutes and the rest of us at the roadblock four minutes after that. That gives us four minutes before someone at the bank notices that something is wrong. This is going to be down to the second, people."

"We know the plan Nate," Sophie interjected, "We've done this sort of thing a million times before. Stop worrying."

Nate said nothing. He just kept on driving.

...

Hardison watched the clock count down the minutes to the start of the heist. At the exact moment the convoy started its journey, Nate reported that they had reached the office building that would serve as Parker's lookout point.

"Okay Parker, you have ten minutes to get into position." Nate instructed her. Hardison heard a snort from Parker.

"Hah! I'll be there in five!"

"Don't get overconfident. Just stick to the plan and we'll get this done quickly." Nate had this knack of sounding like a long-suffering parent, which in some ways he was, Hardison thought.

Hardison heard the car doors slam as Sophie, Nate and Eliot drove off to put the next part of the plan into action.

…

The lock on the building's main entrance took Parker all of two and a half seconds to pick. The doors swung open and Parker entered and began the business of looking for the quickest way up. There was, of course, very little power to the building since it had been empty for so long. That meant the lifts were out of action, and Parker wanted something a bit more fun than climbing up a load of stairs.

"Hardison, do you have the plans?" she asked.

Hardison's reply came almost instantly. "Right here in front of me. You want me to find you an air vent?"

"You read my mind!" Parker grinned. She liked the way he always knew exactly what she wanted. It made her feel warm and safe inside.

"Right, it looks like there's an access point in the utility room, down the hallway to your left. Third door along."

"Got it." Parker walked quickly in the direction indicated and found the door. It was of course locked. This time she took one second to unlock it and the door opened with a satisfying click. Inside were shelves filled with empty cans of cleaning products and bleach and some mops and brooms which hadn't seen any use for what looked like months. At the back of the room, just above the height of her head was a grille. Parker grinned and levered the grille off without too much effort – the screws holding it in had rusted completely. The shaft behind it looked just large enough for her to crawl through.

Parker pulled one of the shelves over, sending the cans and bottles crashing to the floor, and climbed into the shaft. Once she was inside she made a call to Hardison.

"How long?"

"Five minutes twenty three seconds. You'd better keep moving."

Parker smiled as she made her way through the shaft. She loved this job.

…

"Okay so we have the cars ready in those two roads there, and Eliot's going to be taking position there." Nate indicated the areas in question as he spoke. He and Sophie had managed to find two cheap cars they could use to cause the accident. Traffic was starting to build up along the road so there was a good chance the van would be stopped for a while in the ensuing havoc.

"How are you doing, Eliot?" Sophie asked.

"This alley stinks!" Eliot complained, "It smells like someone's cat died down here. It's coming from this bin. Oh man!"

"What is it?" Nate asked.

"It is a dead cat! It's been here for days!" The sounds of a lid hurriedly being put back on could be heard then Eliot spoke again. "Next time can you find me somewhere less dirty to hide? Maybe a sewer?"

"Stop complaining," Nate ordered, "It's only going to be for another few minutes."

"At this rate I won't have to touch them! They'll have passed out from the smell!"

Nate looked at Sophie and couldn't help but grin at her.

The pieces were in place. Now all they had to do was wait.

…

Hardison took a swig from his bottle of orange soda. He had noticed that the fridge was full again. It was only yesterday that it was nearly empty. He suspected intervention in the form of a certain blonde thief had kept him in stock. She really was the best.

The voice of that same blonde thief broke into his thoughts.

"I'm almost in position. I've just passed a black box on the side of the shaft."

"Wait, wait a minute. Did you say a black box?" Hardison put the bottle down and pulled up the building plans again.

"Yes. On the right side. Oh. There's another grill ahead. Looks like there's no way round it."

Hardison was more interested in the box. He scanned through the plans.

"Parker, tell me about this box."

"It's about ten centimetres across and about fifteen centimetres high. It looks like it's got some sort of screen. I'm going to have a closer look."

"No, Parker! Don't go near it!" Hardison looked up from the plans in horror. There was no such black box mentioned anywhere in them.

"Hardison? The screen's just lit up. It must have been some sort of motion sensor. It's... it's counting down."

"How long?" Hardison asked, a sinking feeling beginning to appear in his stomach.

"Ten minutes."

"Parker! Get out of there now! Nate! Nate! Can you hear me? We have a problem!"

"Hardison!" Parker's voice sounded panicked. Hardison had never heard that from her before, not even when she had been trapped by the Storanko system. "Hardison! I can't get out! There's another grille here! It wasn't here before! It must have just come down!"

"Nate! Nate! Come in Nate!" Hardison was starting to panic now too.

"Hello, Hardison." said a very well remembered voice. Hardison looked up at the main screens to see a very familiar face leering down at him.

"Chaos."

"Ah, so you do remember me? I'm touched."

"You're supposed to be in jail. Again." Hardison said, trying to keep the quaver out of his voice. All the time he was thinking how he could get Parker out.

"And I escaped. Again." Chaos smirked. Hardison wanted nothing more than to reach through the screen and throttle him. "Oh, and I wouldn't bother trying to contact the rest of your team. I've taken the liberty of jamming your comms. But I did leave a channel open for you and the lovely Parker. I thought you might appreciate that since she only has..." Chaos made a show of bringing his arm round and checking his watch, "eight minutes left to live. My doesn't time fly."

"What do you want, Chaos?" Hardison made no effort to keep the strain out of his voice.

"Who says I want anything?" Chaos smirked again. "Maybe I just want to pay you back for the times you humiliated me. Or maybe I just want to remove a thorn from my side."

"No, Chaos! Don't do this!" Hardison pleaded.

"Well I would just love to stay and chat but I'm sure you have other, more pressing things on your mind. Do give my regards to the others, if they live long enough that is!" Chaos pushed a button and vanished from the screen.

Hardison didn't give himself any time to think. He ran out of the apartment, down the stairs and jumped into his car. Parker's voice, clearly shaking, came over his earbud.

"Hardison?"

"I know Mama, I know. I'm coming for you." Hardison said in what he hoped was a reassuring voice.

"Hardison you can't get here in time."

"I will baby! I will!" Hardison drove for all he was worth, all the time trying to contact Nate.

…

"Hardison? Hardison, can you hear me?" Nate had been trying to reach Hardison for the last five minutes. All he got was static. He turned to Sophie. "Something's wrong, I can't get through."

"We can't reach Eliot either." Sophie pointed to where Eliot was running to join them, making gestures to his ear and slashing motions across his throat.

"Something is very wrong. We should get back and join up with Parker." Nate said as he led the way back to the cars.

…

"Come on baby, come on!" Hardison felt like he was driving through tar. He could feel the seconds ticking by all too quickly. All the while Parker was still talking to him.

"Hardison." She sounded calm, resigned. "Hardison it's okay. I knew something like this might happen some day. It's a risk we all took. It comes with the job."

"Well it's not going to be today! I'm gonna get you out of there!" Hardison shouted. He rounded a corner and drove straight into a traffic queue. The lights up ahead were red.

"Come on! Come! On!" Hardison gave up and backed the car up, trying to go a different way. He wouldn't let himself think that he wouldn't get there in time. "How long?" he asked Parker.

"Less than two minutes. There's nothing you can do."

"No! I can get there! I can..."

"Alec." Hardison went quiet as her use of his first name. "Alec, it's okay. Just promise me you'll make Chaos pay for this."

"We'll make him pay together, Parker! I am not giving up on you!" He turned another corner and just narrowly dodged a car coming the other way. He vaguely registered the fact that he was driving the wrong way up a one-way street but he didn't care. All that mattered was the girl he loved was staring death in the face.

Parker's voice came back on. It was quieter now. "Twelve seconds left... Ten... I love you Alec!"

Hardison couldn't keep the tears out of his eyes. "I love you too Parker! I love you too!" he shouted.

…

00:04

Parker closed her eyes and smiled. A tear ran down her cheek.

00:03

"Cerys."

00:02

"My name's Cerys."

00:01

She felt calm, at peace.

00:00

…

The noise of the explosion was powerful enough to shatter windows and set off car alarms for a radius of just under a mile.


	5. Picking Up The Pieces

**Disclaimer: Leverage is (c) 2009 Leverage Holdings Inc.**

**Picking Up The Pieces**

"PARKER! PARKER! CERYS! NOOOOOOOOOOO!"

Hardison screamed for all he was worth. He had been able to hear the explosion from this far away. He slammed his foot onto the brake and the car screeched to a violent halt. Hardison buried his head in his hands and cried and cried.

This couldn't be happening! Not to Parker! Not now they were actually getting somewhere together! He punched the steering wheel and dashboard with both hands until his knuckles hurt. He ignored the pain. All the time he was replaying those last few seconds in his mind.

_"Cerys... My name's Cerys."_

_"I love you Alec."_

It wasn't fair! She had barely begun to live her own life, rather than having someone else tell her what to do! It just wasn't fair!

Hardison cried so hard he didn't hear his earbud at first.

"Alec?"

That was his name! That sounded like... but that was impossible! He had heard the explosion! He brought his head up, waiting, hoping that he wasn't imagining it.

"Alec? Are you there?"

"Parker? Is that you?" he said, hardly daring to believe it.

"It's me. I'm fine. The bomb didn't go off. It just counted down to zero then turned itself off."

Hardison couldn't understand it but for now that didn't matter. All that mattered was that she was alive. They could figure out why later on, much later on, when she was safe.

"Can you move, Parker?" he asked, starting his car again and resuming his journey to the office building.

"You know you can use my real name, I mean I did just tell it to you." Parker admonished him. Then her voice brightened. "The grilles have gone! They must have retracted! I'm on my way out now."

Hardison couldn't help but grin. "You got it Cerys, I'm on my way." As he moved off he whooped with joy.

...

Nate slowly regained consciousness. It took him a moment to remember what had happened but the pressure of the air bag from the steering wheel helped his memory. The last thing he remembered was driving down the road towards Parker's lookout point, then something big hit into him from behind. After that there was nothing.

Nate suddenly remembered he had been driving in front of Sophie's car. He quickly got out and ran to the back of the car.

The car Sophie had been driving had crashed full on into the back of his. Nate ran to the driver's door and managed to wrench it open.

Sophie's head was leaning against the doorframe, a line of blood running down it. She was unconscious. Next to her, Eliot was slowly starting to come round.

"Sophie? Sophie! Wake up!" Nate shook her and slapped her face. Her eyes opened groggily.

"Nate? What happened?" Her voice was slurred. Eliot was the one who answered.

"That was a large bomb. It came from about half a mile behind us."

"The bank!" Nate swore under his breath. "Okay, uh, I'm going to head back to the bank, find out what's going on. Eliot, you need to get Sophie to the nearest hospital. Hardison? Hardison, can you hear me?"

"Nate man, what's going on?" Hardison's voice, heavy with relief, came over the earbuds.

"I think a bomb's gone off at the bank. I'm going to check it out. Eliot and Sophie are going to the hospital. Where are you?"

"I'm going to pick Parker up." Nate was about to ask what he meant by that but Hardison spoke again. "Look, man, it's a long story. I'll meet Sophie and Eliot at the hospital and fill them in there. But you should know, Chaos is involved."

Nate swore again. Anything involving that man was bound to be trouble.

...

Hardison pulled up at the entrance and jumped out of the car. He entered the building.

"Parker? Parker are you there?" he called out. There was a blur of movement from his right and the next thing he knew Parker had flung herself into his arms, the force of the impact nearly knocking him over.

"Alec, Alec I was so scared!" she was very nearly in tears. Hardison just tightened his arms around her.

"I know baby I know. I was scared too." he whispered into her ear. He let her go. "You ready to get out of here?"

Parker nodded quickly. Hardison put his arm around her to help steady her and they walked towards the car. They had gone only three steps when Parker collapsed against him.

"Parker? Cerys? Hey, are you okay?" Hardison asked her but she didn't answer. She had passed out.

...

Parker dreamed that she was swimming deep underwater. All around her was darkness. The only light came from a small point above the water's surface. She was wearing what seemedto be a long, flowing, white dress which billowed around her.

She kicked up to the surface, but she found that no matter how hard she kicked she couldn't get any closer. She tried harder and harder but to no avail. Growing desperate, she struggled as hard as she could, the air escaping from her mouth, but she only succeeded in closing the distance by a few millimeters.

She gave it one final effort, but she was still no nearer. She just floated there, watching her air trickle away. At the precise moment the last gasp left her, a hand plunged into the water and grabbed her own hand. She vaguely registered the fact that the hand was dark-skinned. The hand pulled her up to the surface and the light.

Parkerslowly opened her eyes. As her vision gradually came back into focus she saw Hardison was leaning over her, a huge grin on his face.

"Hey Mama, welcome back." he said.

Parker looked down and saw that he was holding her hand. She squeezed his hand and smiled at him.

"Am I dead?" she asked him.

Hardison laughed. "No, no you just passed out. Must have been the shock."

"How long was I out?"

"Only a couple of hours." Eliot said, coming round from behind Hardison. "Hardison's brought us up to speed on what happened."

"Wait, so if you're here, where's Sophie?" Parker asked.

"She's still resting. She took a massive knock when the cars crashed. She'll be fine though. Nate's at the bank, trying to find out what happened." Hardison told her.

The nurse came in at that moment. "Okay, boys, Miss White needs her rest. Run along."

Eliot left, but as Hardison was moving to leave Parker held on to his hand tightly. She suddenly found that she didn't want him to leave. When he looked at her questioningly she smiled at him, but she could feel tears starting to gather in the corner of her eyes. Hardison looked over at the nurse, giving her his best puppy dog stare.

The nurse caved instantly. "Oh alright then. Ten more minutes. But no more!"

"Thanks." Hardison turned back to Parker. The nurse smiled and left the room, closing the door on her way out, leaving the two of them alone.

"So," Hardison began, "Cerys huh? It's a nice name. Bit unusual though."

"My mother, my real mother, was half Welsh. She came over to America then met my father." Parker found it hard to talk about her real parents. She didn't really remember much about them. All she really remembered were the foster families she had been shuffled around.

"Sshh." Hardison brushed a tear from her eye. "You just rest here and get your strength back. Then we'll take down Chaos." He slowly let go of her hand and made his way out of her room, giving her a final glance. She smiled at him and he smiled back. Then he left the room.

...

That night, Hardison was sitting on the biggest sofa in his apartment, thinking of how many different ways he could make Chaos pay for what he'd done. The Stradivarius violin was lying in its case on the table in front of him but he couldn't find the frame of mind to play it.

Hardison felt a small draft, as if a window had been opened, then a pair of arms encircled him from behind. He smiled.

"You know you're supposed to be resting in hospital," he said without turning round.

"I don't want rest," Parker replied, leaning her head on his shoulder. "I want you."

Hardison turned his head and looked at her. She still looked a bit rough but he could see the strength in her eyes. Parker scrambled over the back of the sofa and landed next to him. She motioned to the violin.

"Were you going to play?" she asked.

Hardison shook his head. "I was going to but I can't seem to bring myself to pick it up."

Parker turned to face him. "Would you play for me?"

"Seriously?" Hardison asked, not quite able to believe what he was hearing.

Parker nodded. "Please, Alec. I want to hear you play." She flashed her most devastating smile at him – whether she knew that was what it was he had no idea but it certainly did the job for him – and he knew he could never refuse her.

Hardison stood up and picked up the violin. As he was tuning it he turned to her. "Any requests?"

"Play Scheherazade." Parker brought her knees up to her chin and wrapped her arms around them. Hardison closed his eyes and, after a few moments, started to play the haunting tune. This was exactly how he'd imagined it. He played his heart out to her, letting himself be lost completely in the music.

As he finished playing the final note he opened his eyes and looked at Parker. Her eyes were closed and she was smiling. Hardison also saw that tears were running down her face.

"Hey, Mama, you okay?" he asked, putting down the violin and sitting next to her. She opened her eyes and looked at him.

"It's the most beautiful sound I've ever heard," she said to him, "Thank you."

She leaned her head towards his and before he knew what was happening she was kissing him. It was soft and tender, as if she didn't quite know what she was doing, but it deepened as he responded to her. Everything else was forgotten. It was just the two of them, right here, right now.

She pulled away and smiled at him. "I meant what I said, you know, before. I really do love you."

Hardison smiled back. "I love you too Cerys."

They moved back together for another kiss. Everything was finally perfect.

* * *

**A/N Did you really think I would blow Parker up?**

**Parker's dream sequence was inspired by a photo I found on one of the many Beth Riesgraf galleries. It's part of a shoot where some of the pictures were taken underwater and it was just her against a black background.**

**And when I was deciding what Parker's name would be it came down to either Katherine or Cerys (pronounced Ker-ris) and I thought Cerys suited her better.**

**Thanks for reading, I'm glad people are enjoying it so far!  
**


	6. Order And Chaos

**Disclaimer: Leverage is (c) 2009 Leverage Holdings Inc.**

**Order And Chaos**

"Run it, Hardison."

Hardison obeyed Nate's command, picking up the remote and pointing it at the screens.

It had been two days since the disastrous operation. Nate had wanted to brief everyone sooner, but Sophie had been kept in hospital for observation and had only just been released. Even now Nate could see that she was still a bit groggy, and he hoped that she would agree to stay on the sidelines for now.

Parker had been discharged from hospital a lot sooner. When the staff discovered she had escaped they reckoned that if she was well enough to leave through a third floor window then she had no further need of their services. After a hurried call to Nate, who had listed himself as her uncle, they agreed to let her go.

Nate was no fool. He knew exactly where Parker had gone to. One didn't get to where he was by not keeping an eye on everyone around him. He was just as good as Eliot in that regard, perhaps better, as he looked for the buttons to push to manipulate people, whereas Eliot would just assess the threat they posed to him and his team.

And, quite honestly, Nate was pleased for both Parker and Hardison. When he had first met them they were loners, never working with anyone longer than was necessary. But now Nate found it hard to imagine one without the other. He knew Hardison would never hurt Parker – despite his profession Hardison was a kind and gentle man at heart – and he knew that Parker's loyalty, once earned, was unshakeable. Nate resolved to talk to both of them after this business was finished and let them know that , as long as the team wasn't compromised, he had no problem with their relationship. He strongly suspected that even if he did have a problem they would carry on regardless. The thought made him smile. Even now he could see that they were never very far apart from each other. They didn't make an overt show of looking at each other, but Nate could tell they knew where the other was at all times.

Nate directed his gaze to Eliot. If anything the man's mood was even grimmer than usual. Hardly surprising, since it was his job to look for threats and make sure the others were protected. Nate had tried to tell him that it wasn't his fault, that no one could have guessed what would happen, but something told him Eliot would need a lot more before he forgave himself.

And Sophie? When Nate looked at her he felt his heart break a little. Her head was still wound up in a bandage and her eyes had a semi permanent glazed look from the painkillers she had been prescribed. She was in no fit state for any sort of action and really should be at home resting, but she had insisted on being there. Nate had made a deal with her. She could be present, as long as she didn't put herself forward for any roles in the upcoming job and would spend the time in the apartment with Hardison. Reluctantly Sophie had agreed.

Hardison pushed a button on the remote and the screen lit up with images. The first image was of a very familiar face.

"Alright I'm sure we all know who this is," Hardison said. The man on the screen had short dark hair and the beginnings of a beard and moustache. His general demeanour was that of someone who was not very physically active – in fact he seemed to be the very personification of a couch potato – but in his eyes burned a cold fire. On their first encounter with him he had nearly succeeded in blowing Sophie up, and that was before they had even met him formally.

"Colin Mason," Eliot growled, his eyes lighting up as he now had a subject for his anger.

"Chaos," Parker all but spat. There were plenty of people who she disliked but Chaos was one of the few people she actually hated. "I thought he was in prison. Last time we saw him he got dragged off by the FBI. Serves him right for trying to kill Santa." No one tried to correct her.

"Well he escaped." Hardison clicked the remote again and a passport appeared. The image was of Colin Mason but the name was that of Jim Oldham from Austin, Texas. Hardison continued speaking. "This passport was used at Logan International Airport, right here in Boston. It seemed that Chaos has been taking a tour of Eastern Europe and some of the central African countries."

Nate stood up, taking the remote from Hardison. "Now we know Chaos was responsible for the explosion at the bank. The question is why, and why did he involve us?"

"Was he trying to hit the convoy?" Eliot asked.

Hardison shook his head. "Actually, there was no convoy. That route map we found had been forged. It was good enough to pass on first and second glance, but when you actually dig deep enough it all falls apart."

"So no map and no convoy," Sophie spoke up. Her voice was slurring a bit and her eyes were still glazed, but her mind was still as sharp as ever. "Was anything else true? Was there ever any gold there?"

"No the gold was there alright." Nate brought up documents from the bank. "It had been brought in from a source in South America and was due to be transported to the Federal Reserve bank in New York. There's a paper trail as long as my arm at each stage. Everything checks out. However," Nate clicked again and an image of Ed Carlson appeared, "I've asked everyone at the bank. They have never had an employee named Ed Carlson."

"So he was in on the whole thing." Parker's eyes narrowed as she found another object for her hatred.

"I think I've pieced together what happened." Nate said, putting the remote down. "Two weeks ago the gold arrived at First Boston Independent. Chaos knew about this and paid off Carlson to come here and spin us a story about how he's heard about a planned robbery. He put in the touches about his wife and kids to make sure we'd bite.

"Meanwhile Chaos sets up a nice route map for us to find, complete with dates and times. A route which passes conveniently close to an old office block. An office block, by the way, with a maintenance record dating back about a month."

"He set us up." Eliot growled again.

"Indeed he did." Nate brought up the record in question. "Two days worth of ventilation work. Installation of new security systems, including security grilles in the ducts. I'd say he set us up good and proper."

"So then what?" Parker asked impatiently.

"Well now we fast forward to two days ago. We've swallowed the bait and we're doing things exactly to Chaos's timetable. All he has to do is walk into the bank, leave a briefcase somewhere hidden, walk out again, and wait. When Parker triggered the motion sensor he got a signal and knew when to jam our comms."

"But why did he call me?" Hardison asked, "He could have just kept quiet and we wouldn't have known?"

"I think his pride was hurt." Nate pulled up images and records of Chaos's previous arrests. "We'd beaten him twice. Each time, Hardison, you were directly responsible for him being taken into custody. He wanted to rub your face in what he'd done to make you react rather than think things through."

Hardison felt Parker's head lean against his shoulder and he put his arm around her waist.

Nate pretended not to notice. "Then when the bomb exploded, all he had to do was walk in in the confusion, tell the police he was with the Federal Reserve and get them to load the gold onto his van. There would be enough panic that no one would question it."

"How many people were hurt?" Eliot asked quietly.

"According to news reports the bank was fairly empty, there were only a few employees around. People walking past were hit the hardest." Nate displayed an image from a local news site. The entire front of the bank had disappeared. There was nothing left but rubble. "The local hospitals have been working round the clock. So far there have been four confirmed deaths. And at least a dozen critical."

"That's just horrible," Sophie said, "We must really have hit him hard for him to do that."

"But what's he going to do with all that gold?" Parker asked.

"Ah now that's the interesting thing. Last night on the news there was a report that one of the poorest African countries had declared the start of a period of strong economic growth. The records were sealed tight but it looks like the government paid a substantial amount of money for a freshly mined load of South American gold."

"Clever." Parker couldn't help smiling despite her anger. "The gold they get adds value to their currency and makes what Chaos got paid even more valuable." When Eliot and Hardision looked at her surprised she shrugged. "What? I watch the news too you know."

"Wait a minute," Hardison had a sudden realisation, "He's gold farming!"

"Gold doesn't grow on a farm, moron!" Eliot said sharply.

"No no no it's something you get in online games." Hardison took the remote from Nate and punched a few buttons on it. More images came on screen as he spoke. "See in every online game there's an economy between the players and the world. And in each game the total value of all the items, gear and everything adds up to a fixed amount. Some of it is kept in reserve. So when I pick up say a sword, the value of that sword is taken from the reserve. When I sell the sword, I get part of it's value back and the rest goes back into the reserve. The overall amount never changes."

Hardison clicked more buttons and images of websites appeared. "Now gold farmers take some of that gold and sell it to players for money. Most of them get the gold the usual way – killing monsters and so on – but a few of them hack into player accounts and steal the gold from them. The whole thing is illegal and most companies have been trying to crack down on it."

"So why do people buy from them?" Nate asked.

Hardison smiled. "People want to be the best they can as quickly as they can. If that means they pay money to get the best stuff then so be it. The gold farmers can rake in thousands per month. They get their money and the players get their gear. The people who lose out are the companies that run the games."

"And that's exactly what Chaos is doing," Nate said, "He's stealing gold from the people who worked for it and selling it to those that aren't willing to make the effort themselves. The question is how do we stop him?"

After a moment Hardison spoke up. "The usual way to stop gold farmers is to make it unprofitable for them to sell. You either do that by dumping more gold into the economy, which runs the risk of destabilising it completely, or you reduce the cost of everything so that players don't need as much."

"Well we can't reduce the price of everything and we certainly can't make more gold." Nate clasped his hands behind his back as he looked at the screens. He turned round to face the others. "So we cheat." He took the remote from Hardison and brought up an image of another bank – this time the State Street Branch of the Boston Bank. "Now according to confidential reports there's going to be another shipment of gold within the next few days. The Boston Bank is a lot less secure than First Boston Independent so there's no way Chaos will be able to resist it. All we have to do is get there first and catch him in the act."

"Is there really going to be gold at the bank?" Sophie asked.

Nate smiled. "The reports say so, or at least they will when Hardison's been at them. I'm sure we can find somebody somewhere that makes convincing fake gold. We'll get him this time. Definitely."

"Good. I want him to suffer." Parker hissed. Under the table her hand found Hardison's and squeezed it so tightly Hardison thought the blood would be pushed out through his fingers.

"Oh he will, especially once his customers find out he's selling them rubbish." Nate straightened up and grinned at them all.

"People, let's go steal ourselves a gold mine."

"Farm, dude." Hardison huffed. "Gold farm."

"Whatever." Nate did his usual walk away from the desk and screens, leaving the others to get ready.

Hardison leaned over to Parker. "You going to be okay baby?"

Parker smiled at him and her eyes flashed evilly. "Oh I'm going to be just fine." She leaned forward and gave him a quick peck on his nose, then got up and went to get her gear.

Hardison smiled too. Chaos was going down for good this time.

* * *

**A/N I actually have no idea if that's how any of it works but it seemed to fit the story okay. It looks like Hardison's online game addiction has its uses after all!**


	7. Stealing A Gold Farm

**Disclaimer: Leverage is (c) 2009 Leverage Holdings Inc.**

**Stealing A Gold Farm**

Boston Bank (State Street Branch) was normally quiet at this time of day. However, due to the incident at First Boston Independent a few days earlier more and more new customers were opening accounts. As a result today the bank was quite crowded. This suited Nate fine.

"Okay guys, how are we doing?" he asked.

"I've hacked into their CCTV feed. Nothing yet." Hardison was sitting at a cafe across the street, his laptop on the table in front of him. Sophie was sitting next to him, still mad that she couldn't take an active part in the con.

"The rear of the bank is clear too." Eliot was wearing a security uniform. He had taken up position outside the back door, his keen eyes observing everyone who walked past.

"Parker? How's things going with the manager?" Nate asked.

"Going well," Parker whispered, then turned her attention back to the bank manager. He was a short thin man with his hair combed over and thick glasses. He had a habit of constantly blinking which had been annoying Parker for the past ten minutes. She had already spotted which pocket he kept his wallet and passkey in, but she was under strict orders from Nate not to steal anything, and more importantly, not to stab anyone, smash anyone with a suitcase or, and this was crucial, not to break anyone's fingers, no matter how annoying she found them.

"As I was saying, Miss Tennant, we at Boston Bank are thrilled that the United States Government feels able to entrust us with the latest shipment of gold from Brazil."

Parker slipped into her role. She found it much easier now than she had at the start, mainly due to Sophie's tuition. "I'm pleased to hear that Mr Hammond. There were some doubts as to your ability to look after such a... a large package, especially after the events at First Boston."

"Of course, of course, I understand completely!" Mr Hammond's blinking had increased to five times a minute, Parker noticed. Apparently that meant he was getting quite excited. She wondered if he could get so worked up his eyes would just jam themselves closed. Maybe he would run around, crashing into everything. It would be worth seeing, she decided.

She realised he had stopped talking. "Um, excuse me?" she asked.

Mr Hammond blinked again. "I said I would personally guarantee the shipment's safety. I'll have my best staff watching it around the clock. Every camera available will be on twenty four hours a day. I can assure you that nothing can possibly happen to that gold."

Parker smiled at him and his blinking increased to eight times a minute. "Well I for one am completely reassured. If you will excuse me, I need to make a call to find out when the gold will arrive." She left him and pulled out her phone. She held it to her ear without dialling a number. "Nate, we're in. What time is the van coming?" she whispered over the comms.

"Hardison, go bring in the van." Nate ordered. Hardison acknowledged and left his laptop with Sophie, showing her which buttons to press to change the feeds.

Everything was going according to plan.

...

Hardison pulled the van up outside the bank's rear entrance and got out. The manager, along with Parker, Eliot in his uniform, and a couple of other guards came out to meet him.

"Good morning, delivery for Boston Bank?" Hardison asked in a soft Texas drawl.

"Yes, yes of course!" The manager came forward. Hardison thought his eyes were screwed shut then he realised the manager was blinking very fast. "My name is Robert Hammond, and I am the manager here. And this is Miss Tennant from the government." He indicated Parker. Hardison and Parker nodded to each other.

"Of course, Miss Tennant. We spoke over the phone." Hardison said, taking Parker's hand and shaking it. She squeezed it gently and he had to fight a smile. He turned back to Mr Hammond. "I have a few forms for you to sign. I'm sure you understand this is a very valuable shipment and my employers must have the proper paperwork." He produced a large folder of documents.

"Of course, of course. Er, would you like me to sign it here?" Mr Hammond stammered.

Parker spoke up. "No not here. It would be better in your office. I can supervise the unloading here." Mr Hammond nodded and took Hardison inside. Parker opened the side of the van. Inside were crates stamped with the Federal Reserve logos. Through the seams she could see the gleam of the contents. For a moment her breath caught and she had to remind herself that it was not real gold.

She shook her head sharply and motioned to Eliot and the guards. "Okay boys, please take this to the vault. And don't drop any! If that gold gets so much as a smudge of dirt it's coming out of your pay." She jabbed Eliot sharply to make her point. Eliot glared at her but did as he was told, carrying one end of a crate while another guard picked up the other end.

Ten minutes later Mr Hammond and Hardison came back, the bank manager looking quite exhausted. He went straight up to Parker. "How's it going, Miss Tennant?"

Parker smiled at him. "We're down to the last two crates now. Once we're done here I'll let my superiors know and they will arrange with you to pick up the gold within the next few days."

"Good, good, er..." Mr Hammond's voice quavered as if he was suddenly feeling nervous. "Miss Tennant, I was wondering if you would have dinner with me, say this evening, or..."

Hardison's fists clenched so hard he felt his fingernails digging into the palms of his hands. He could just about tolerate Agent McSweeten's advances towards her, and that was only because he knew it was part of her Agent Hagan alias. But this guy, this guy was... slimy. He suddenly had a vision of himself punching the manager's lights out, and it felt oddly satisfying.

Parker smiled again. "I'm very flattered, Mr Hammond, but I'm afraid I must decline. I have to write up my report this evening. My job doesn't tend to leave a lot of time for a social life." Sophie herself could not have done better. Hardison breathed a huge sigh of relief.

Mr Hammond sighed dejectedly and turned to watch the final crate enter the bank. Once it was safely locked up Hardison drove the van away. A short distance from the bank he contacted Nate. "The egg is in the nest. I repeat, the egg is in the nest."

"Great job guys." Nate's voice came back. "Now all we need to do is catch the cuckoo that's going to try to steal it."

...

They waited.

Nate, Eliot, Hardison and Parker all took six hour shifts in pairs in the van Hardison had used, which had been parked close to the bank. Hardison set up his laptops in the back, all of them showing the CCTV feeds, as well as location transponders and motion sensors from the vault itself as well as the ones Hardison had secreted into the gold crates.

There wasn't much happening.

It was three days later. Nate had wanted to keep the gold there as long as possible to give Chaos ample opportunity to try to steal it, but at the same time he didn't want the bank manager becoming suspicious. He was going to give it another day then pull the plug for now. Parker had already called the bank to arrange for a pickup tomorrow.

"Anything?" Parker asked Hardison. It was their turn for the six-hour long mountain-of-nothing, as Hardison had taken to calling it.

"Same as before. Nothing." Hardison was getting more and more frustrated.

Parker flung herself into the chair next to him and leaned on his shoulder. "I'm bored. You know how long it would take me to rob that bank?"

Hardison grinned. "Fifty-four seconds?"

"Fifty-three, actually." She turned her head to look up at him. "What do you do when you're bored?"

"Me? I try hacking into things. See how far I can get." He smiled down at her. "I once got all the way into the National Gallery in London. I was going to see if I could take down the system around their star exhibit, only..."

"Only it had already been stolen." Parker grinned widely. "I got quite a good price for it too."

Hardison laughed and reached up with his hand and stroked her hair. She leaned into his touch and closed her eyes. She quickly opened them again and eyed the open bottle of orange soda on the table in front of Hardison.

"Can I try some?" she asked, giving Hardison a devastating puppy dog look.

_Where had she learned that?_ Hardison wondered. "Uh, sure. Go for it."

Parker picked up the bottle and drank a bit. She put the bottle down, grimacing.

"Ugh, that's way too sweet! How can you drink that stuff?"

Hardison smiled. "Don't knock it, girl. Nana would buy tons of it every week for every kid she fostered. After a while we grew to love it."

Parker picked up the bottle and tried again. This time she didn't grimace. "You know, it's not really that bad once you get used to it," she said. Hardison just laughed.

At that moment one of the motion sensors beeped, indicating someone was in with the gold. Hardison brought up the CCTV images. Every so often they would go off but it was always just a security guard doing his rounds. This time was no different. They could see his uniform and cap quite clearly on the screen as he walked around the room.

Hardison called Nate. "Still nothing, man. You want us to keep looking?"

Nate replied after a moment. "No, it's obviously not going to happen today. Alright, come on back to base. We'll just have to pick up the gold and try again somewhere else."

"Roger that." Hardision looked at Parker, who grinned.

"Well I'm glad that's over," she said, "I was about to try to steal your keys as well as your wallet."

"My wallet?" Hardison felt in his pocket, which was empty. He looked up to see Parker waving his wallet at him. "Why you..."

Parker just laughed and leaned her head back onto his shoulder. Try as hard as he might, he just couldn't be mad at her and soon he was laughing too.

...

The next day they were all back at Boston Bank to collect the gold. Parker had again adopted her Miss Tennant persona. She was thanking Mr Hammond for his time and effort.

"It's really no trouble at all." Mr Hammond was beaming all over his face. "Anything to help our great country. If you don't mind me asking, where will the, uh, package be going next?"

"I'm sorry I can't tell you that," Parker said, "Need to know only. Be assured though that the United States Government will not forget what you have done for them." Mr Hammonds smile became even bigger.

Hardison pulled up with the van and again had paperwork for Mr Hammond to sign. Mr Hammond led him to his office as Eliot and the other guards went into the vault to bring up the crates.

When Hardison and Mr Hammond returned the job was almost done. Hardison helped to load the last crate onto the van. He put it down and stared at it.

"Nate, we have a problem," he whispered into his earbud.

"What kind of problem?" Nate asked.

"These aren't our crates." Hardison looked up and motioned to Parker. "Uh, Miss Tennant, I think you need to take a look at this." When Parker came over he showed her what he had seen. "The logo isn't right. I painted the logo with a deliberate mistake. It just looked like one of the letters had smudged. This isn't one of ours."

Hardison took a crowbar from the van's toolbox and prised open the crate. It was filled with broken pieces of lead.

Parker immediately turned on Mr Hammond. "Mr Hammond? What's the meaning of this?"

When Mr Hammond saw the crate he went deathly white. "But, but , but I don't understand! We... we had them locked in the vault! No one touched them! The only people in there were my own security guards!"

"We will have to investigate this of course." Parker, to her credit, did not slip out of character for a moment, even though inside she was wondering the same thing that the others were wondering.

_What had gone wrong?_

"Okay, okay, so Chaos wins this round." Nate's voice, calm and authoritative, came over the earbuds. "At least no one got hurt this time. We'll regroup and come up with another way to flush him out. At least it can't get any worse."

* * *

**A/N Can it?**


	8. It Gets Worse

**Disclaimer: Leverage is (c) 2009 Leverage Holdings Inc.**

**It Gets Worse**

The next day Nate, Sophie, Hardison and Parker were at their apartment headquarters, planning their next move against Chaos. The door burst open and Eliot strode in. He didn't bother with pleasantries.

"It's worse."

He picked up the remote for the television set and switched to local news. There, on the screen, was a large photo of Hardison. The news announcer spoke over the top.

"Our main headlines again. State police are looking for this man, named as Colin Mason, in connection with the explosion at First Boston Independent."

"No, nonononono, wait." Hardison was sputtering with rage. "He's framing me under his own name?"

The news announcer kept on speaking. "If anyone has any information as to Colin Mason's whereabouts would they please contact the number at the bottom of the screen. In the meantime if you see this man, do not approach him. He is possibly armed and considered to be quite dangerous.

"And now, the weather."

Nate turned the set off and sat for a moment leaning forward in his chair with his hands together. "No, this is good. We can use this."

"What do you mean this is good?" Hardison couldn't believe his ears. "I don't want the police breaking in here and dragging me away to share a cell with some big bruiser. I got my stunning looks to think of!"

Eliot snorted at that but Parker glared at him. She put her hand on Hardison's and he calmed down.

Nate carried on like no one had interrupted. "It's good because now everyone will be looking for Hardison. We can find out what's going on without interruption."

"So what am I supposed to do while you're all out chasing Chaos?" Hardison was calmer but he was still very annoyed.

Nate smiled at him. "You are going to go over every second of that camera footage and find what we all missed. Have fun."

"I'm gonna kill Chaos when I get my hands on him." Hardison groaned as the others left the room to start their search.

...

Hardison shifted on the sofa as he watched hour after hour of CCTV footage. He had sped it up to three times normal but it still felt like it went on forever.

The routine was simple enough. Once an hour the door to the vault would open and a guard would walk in. He would turn right once inside the door and walk around the room once, checking each crate as he did. Hardison was running the records from the motion sensors on another screen in sync with the video. Whenever the guard walked near the crates with the sensors the graph would spike, indicating that it had registered his presence. Then the guard would leave the room and an hour would pass with nothing happening, then the door would open, another guard would enter – not the same guard, Hardison had checked several times - and the whole process would begin again.

The first few times Hardison had been quite attentive, trying to spot anything out of place. That had been four hours ago and he was struggling to keep his eyes open and his mind focussed. This would be the twelfth time he had seen the guard walk around the room.

Hardison gradually became aware of another presence in the room besides himself. He paused the tapes and looked around. To his surprise he saw a pair of eyes peeking over the arm of the sofa. Hardison couldn't help but smile.

"You're supposed to be out hunting for Chaos," he said.

Parker stood up and scampered round to sit next to him. She leaned against him as he put his arm around her.

"I got bored."

Hardison motioned to the screens in front of him. "It's not much more interesting in here, Mama."

Parker smiled at him. "But you're here. Now we can be bored together."

Hardison had to grin at that. He curled his arm so that his hand could reach her ears and gently scratched behind them.

To his suprise and delight Parker actually purred like a cat. She snuggled into his side and curled her legs up onto the sofa. "So what's happening?" she asked him.

Hardison played the tapes. "See, it's all quiet for a bit, then a guard comes in – there, see? He turns to the right, walks around the crates and then leaves. That's twelve hours of nothing so far."

They watched a couple more rounds then Parker got up. "You got any orange soda in here?" she asked, moving to the fridge.

"Getting to like it are ya?" Hardison smiled. "Bring me one too please."

"What was that? Do you want one or two?" Parker called back.

"One please." Hardison called.

"So why did you say two?"

"I didn't. I said bring me one too!"

Parker came back with two bottles. Hardison just shook his head. "Come on back here then. We're just getting to the good part."

She jumped back next to him and snuggled back up against him, taking a swig out of her bottle. Hardison drank some of his as yet another guard did his rounds of the room. He jumped slightly when he felt her breath on his ear.

"I wish you'd call me Cerys," Parker said huskily.

_Where did she learn that? Has she been taking lessons from Sophie?_ Hardison's mind went blank as he thought for something to say.

"I'm just used to calling you Parker," he said to her. She smiled sweetly at him and he felt his mouth go dry.

"Well I'm used to calling you Hardison, but I'm trying to get used to calling you Alec." She fluttered her eyelids at him in a way which made him most uncomfortable.

"Alright, who are you and what have you done with the real Parker?" he asked, only half-jokingly.

Parker just laughed. "I've been taking lessons from Sophie. She seems to be eager for you to 'get a move on' she said."

Hardison leaned in and kissed her on her forehead. "Okay, I'll try to call you Cerys." Parker grinned at him and caught his lips with her own.

They kissed for a few seconds before Hardison suddenly remembered what he was supposed to be doing. He quickly broke off the kiss, leaving Parker pouting, then turned the tapes back on.

"Okay, here we go again. There's the door and there's the guard and..." The unthinkable happened. Instead of turning right, the guard turned left. He walked around the room the opposite way to the other guards, checking a couple of the crates, then left again. On the surface it seemed perfectly normal, but four hours of seeing the same thing over and over again made Hardison sit up and take notice of this anomaly.

Parker noticed it too. "Spin it back a minute." Hardison was already doing so. He wound it back to the moment where the guard entered the room.

Parker shook her head. "No, a bit further."

Hardison did as he was told. He hit 'play' and they both leaned forward. At first there was nothing, then there was a momentary flicker. It lasted only a split second – so fast that unless someone was looking for it they would never see it – but it was definitely there. After that the guard came in and did his walk around in the wrong direction. He glanced at the motion sensors. They were completely flat. The guard's movements were not being registered.

Hardison looked at Parker and she looked back at him, understanding in both their eyes. Hardison immediately contacted Nate.

"Nate, man, I think we've found how he did it."

...

"There. Right there." Hardison had put the tape onto the big screens and paused it at the exact moment the flicker appeared.

"It could just be a glitch on the tape," Eliot said. Hardison shook his head.

"No way. I sat through hours of this stuff. That flicker only appeared when the guard came in the wrong way."

"So you're thinking the camera got spoofed?" Nate asked. Hardison nodded.

"I carried on playing the tape after the guard left. Half an hour later there's another flicker. Also the motion sensors weren't picking anything up." He brought up the sensor readouts and played them alongside the clip. They stayed flat even as the guard moved right next to the crates.

"According to Hammond they had a delivery of stationery yesterday." Sophie looked up from her notes. "The time matches the time on that clip."

"So Chaos interrupts the camera feed with one of his own, jams the motion sensors then has help to move the gold to the delivery van and replace it with the lead." Nate nodded.

"Okay, so we know how he did it. What are we going to do now?" Eliot asked, his impatience obvious.

"Nothing." Nate smiled as the others gaped at him. "We know that gold was fake. So when he tries to sell it his buyers won't accept it. They'll never believe him again. All we have to do is wait."

"Wait for what?" Sophie asked.

"Wait for him to call Hardison." Nate folded his arms and looked at Hardison.

"M... me? Why?" Hardison stammered.

"All the way through this business he's targetted you. By threatening to kill Parker and by framing you for the explosion. He's trying to prove that he's the better player. Now we've destroyed his source of income he's going to do the only thing he can think of for revenge." Nate smiled again. "He's going to try to take you down and put you in jail."

"Well that ain't happening. No way is that happening. Is it?" Hardison looked at Nate with pleading eyes. He didn't believe Nate would let him go through that but Nate had already proven time and time again that he was willing to do anything to get the job done.

Parker put her arm onto his. "Don't worry, Alec. I'll find a way to break you out."

Hardison visibly blushed at her public use of his name. Eliot's eyebrows raised in surprise. Sophie hid a huge grin behind her hand. Nate just looked at them impassively. Then he gave them a quick wink and raised one corner of his mouth in a slight smile.

Parker, of course, pretended not to notice and rubbed her hand gently up and down Hardison's arm, grinning at his obvious discomfort.

"Girl, I swear you are going to be the death of me." Hardison hissed at her through gritted teeth. She just smiled at him.

Nate cleared his throat loudly. "So, Hardison will have to stay here until Chaos calls. The rest of us stay alert. I don't think he'll try anything now but you never know. All we can do now is wait."

...

After the others had gone downstairs Hardison turned to Parker.

"Are you trying to give me a heart attack?"

"Don't be silly." Parker grinned at him. "Nate knows, Sophie knows. Only Eliot doesn't know and really who cares what he thinks?"

Hardison just shook his head. She was crazy. But she was his kind of crazy. He picked up the remote for the TV. "Well, as long as we're here, we might as well watch a movie. You ever see The Sting?"

Parker nodded. "I found it a bit unrealistic. Anyone with two eyes would have seen that it was a setup."

"Want to watch it?" Hardison asked.

"Sure." Parker jumped up next to him on the sofa and he put his arm around her – the same position they had been in before.

He looked down at her and whispered quietly, "You're crazy you know."

She smiled and kissed his cheek before whispering into his ear, "You love me for it."

Hardison nodded. "That I do, Cerys, that I do."

The movie was forgotten as they kissed each other, eventually falling asleep on each other's shoulders.

Maybe being a wanted fugitive wasn't so bad after all.

* * *

**A/N I sort of nicked the bit about Parker purring when Hardison scratched behind her ears from the fic "Scenes Set To Music" by AnitaB - Hope you don't mind!**


	9. Wrath Of The Geek King

**Disclaimer: Leverage is (c) 2009 Leverage Holdings Inc.**

**Wrath Of The Geek King**

Nate was the first person to enter the apartment the next morning. Even though it was still officially leased to him he had drunk a bit too much the previous night and Sophie practically ordered him to sleep it off on her couch. He smiled at the memory. He still wasn't quite sure where this thing with Sophie was going, and it seemed like it would take a long time to get there, but he was happy with the way things were right now.

After Nate closed the door he noticed the two figures asleep on the sofa, their heads leaning against each other. Nate grinned and strode over to the curtains, flinging them open. Hardison stirred first.

"Just five more minutes, Nana," he mumbled, then his eyes flew open. They widened when he saw Nate. "Nate! Um, ah, yeah, this isn't what it looks like, man."

"What does it look like then?" Nate asked with a grin. He was enjoying watching Hardison squirm.

Hardison sputtered and was trying to form an answer when a hand reached up and cupped his face. It looked like Parker was waking up as well. Nate just raised his eyebrows and Hardison blushed.

Nate walked over to him and spoke quietly so that Parker wouldn't hear. "Just so you know, I consider Parker to be the closest thing to a daughter I have and so I am duty bound to tell you that if you do anything – a_nything –_ to hurt her I will make your life miserable. And then I will let Eliot make your life miserable. And then I will call your Nana and I'm sure she will be very creative in causing misery. Just wanted to make sure we understand each other." He couldn't help grinning evilly as Hardison gulped.

"Morning Nate." Parker was fully awake now. Nate had no idea whether or not she had heard him. Maybe she had. Didn't matter.

"Sophie and Eliot will be here soon. Any word?" Nate was all business again.

"Nope. Nothing." Hardison shook his head.

"Well be ready. He's going to call soon. I know it." Nate turned as the door opened and Sophie and Eliot walked in. Parker went to the kitchen and made herself breakfast.

"So what's the plan for today?" she asked around mouthfuls of her favourite cereal.

"Nothing we can do until Chaos calls." Nate replied.

"Yeah? And how long's that going to take?" Eliot was finding it difficult. He was used to action, to going out and making things happen. Waiting was not something he was good at.

"It'll happen when it happens. We'd best get comfortable." Nate stood up and took his dish to the sink.

...

The morning passed very slowly. The five of them were sat around the table with Hardison's phone in the middle. They stared at it as if it would explode. The tension was getting unbearable.

Without any warning the phone suddenly rang. Hardison scooped it up, hit the answer button and held it to his ear in one smooth motion.

"Yes?" he said, his voice controlled despite the anxiety he was feeling.

"We need to meet," said the familiar voice of Chaos on the other end of the phone.

"Where?"

"The multi-storey car park at the mall. One hour. Come alone. Oh and bring your laptop." The line went dead.

"Was it him?" Nate asked. Hardison nodded.

"He wants to meet. At the mall car park in an hour."

"It's got to be a trap." Parker didn't sound it but Hardison could tell she was worried. For him. The thought made him feel warm inside.

"I know but we don't have a choice." Hardison stood up. "I need to make a phone call."

...

"Hello Nana?"

Hardison was standing in the hallway, his phone to his ear.

"No, no I'm fine. I'm just..." he sighed. "I'm in trouble, and I don't know when I'll be able to talk to you again."

Parker came out and he waved at her to stay quiet.

"I know, I know. I just wanted to speak to you. I uh..." he grinned sheepishly, "I've met someone. Yes, Nana, a girl. Someone I work with. Yes, she's right here." Hardison held out the phone. "She wants to speak to you."

Parker took the phone and held it up to her ear. "He... hello?" She said nothing further but Hardison could see her face twitching slightly and she nodded every few seconds. After a while she handed the phone back to Hardison.

"Yeah, Nana? I know. I kn... look, I'll be fine. Yeah. Say hi to the others for me. Love you." He ended the call and smiled at Parker. "So what did she say to you?"

Parker smiled back. "That I treat you right and I should make sure you treat me right, and that if I ever hurt you she would hunt me down."

Hardison laughed. "Yeah, that's Nana alright. She just said the same thing to me as well."

"I'd like to meet her."

Hardison nodded. "We will, when this is all over, we will."

The door to the apartment opened and Nate stepped out. "It's time. You ready?"

...

The car park was deserted. Hardison travelled up to the fourth floor. Stepping out of the lift he saw Chaos standing a hundred yards away, waiting for him. Hardison walked until there were forty feet between them, then he stopped, his laptop held under his arm. A discarded newspaper blew along the floor.

"Chaos. Didn't bother to shave I see," he said.

"Looks like you did. New girlfriend? Oh, right yeah. I tried to blow her up didn't I?" Chaos smirked.

"Why? Just tell me why? Why drag us into it?"

Chaos shook his head. "You don't get it, do you? I'm the best. I'm the best there is. And I get taken down by a two bit hacker on a two bit crew. Not once, but twice! And how do you think that makes me feel?"

"You didn't have to bring innocent people into it, you know. No one had to get hurt."

Chaos snorted. "Pfft, a few people here and there, who cares? That scheme was genius. Steal the government's gold, sell it off to a few tin pot african countries, 'Oh thank you sir. Most generous. Here have half the gross domestic product of our poverty stricken land!' And you know the best bit?"

Hardison kept his gaze level, his fingers twitching.

"The best bit was I didn't even give them the real gold! I kept that for myself and just sold them a load of junk. Well they believed it so everybody wins!"

"Apart from the people you put into hospital!" Soon. Whatever it was, it was going to happen soon.

"Me? I didn't put anyone in there. It was you and your friends who blundered about, very kindly setting my bomb off for me. And framing you was just the icing on the cake. Oh and you should know I've called the cops, they'll be here soon and then the great Colin Mason gets locked up, and I can go and start a new life somewhere sunny." He brought up his own laptop. "But first, I need to prove to you who's the better hacker."

Hardison instantly brought his own laptop up and started typing furiously. They fought like the cyber-giants they knew themselves to be, sending viruses and worms to each other's machines and vigourously defending their own with firewalls and the like. It would have gone on for much longer but they were interrupted by a shout.

"FBI, Freeze!"

All around them federal agents appeared, guns drawn. The lead agent moved closer to them.

"Put the laptops on the ground and stand with your hands in the air! Now!"

Hardison and Chaos both complied. Chaos was smirking at Hardison.

"Are you alright sir?" the lead agent asked.

"Yes I'm fin... what?" Chaos suddenly felt handcuffs around one of his wrists. The agent forced his hands down and behind his back. Hardison enjoyed the look of horror on his face. "What are you doing? That's Colin Mason over there!" Chaos sputtered in disbelief.

"Nice try Mason. You'll go away for a long time over this. In fact I wouldn't be surprised if the records of your incarceration get lost or meet with an accident."

"See, you made a bad mistake," Hardison told him, "Framing me I can handle, but going after Parker like that? That is not cool man, not cool at all."

Chaos glared at Hardison even as the agents led him away. "You think I'm done? I'll be back Hardison! I'll be back for you!" he shouted as he was dragged to one of the waiting vehicles.

"And I'll be waiting. Right here." Hardison pointed at the floor for emphasis. Chaos was put into the car and driven away.

Hardison smiled as two familiar figures approached. "Agent Taggert, Agent McSweeten. I owe you guys big time!"

"After all the stuff you've done for us, Agent Thomas, I'd say we're almost even. We may even get a directorship out of this one!" Agent Taggert shook Hardison's hand warmly.

Hardison just smiled.

_The door to the apartment opened and Nate stepped out. "It's time. You ready?"_

_"Almost." Hardison dialled another number on his phone. "Agent Taggert's office please. Hello, Agent Taggert? This is Agent Thomas. I need your help."_

_..._

_Hardison instantly brought his own laptop up and started typing furiously. _

_In one window he was sending viruses and worms to Chaos's laptop. In another he was transmitting the recording he had just made of Chaos's confession to the FBI agents stationed a few feet away. When it had finished sending and they had heard it they pounced._

_"FBI, Freeze!"_

Agent McSweeten looked around him. "Um, is Agent Hagen here as well?"

Hardison turned to face him. "Oh, oh man I'm sorry. She transferred to another state a couple of weeks ago. I'm really sorry. She left this letter for you." He handed McSweeten an envelope and watched as the other man opened it. He knew what it said of course. He had helped Parker to write it.

_Agent McSweeten, Todd_

_I'm sorry. I have to leave. An opportunity came up in Texas and I had to take it._

_It's been great working with you. I've enjoyed every moment of it._

_Todd, you're a really great guy and there's definitely someone out there for you, but it's not me. Just keep being yourself and you'll find her._

_I'll always remember you._

_Agent Diana Hagen_

"Diana..." McSweeten's eyes started to water. He held his hand out for Hardison to shake then drew him into a hug. Hardison patted him on his back.

"Come on McSweeten. Our prisoner isn't going to process himself. Go on. I'll be right behind you." Taggert waved McSweeten away then turned back to Hardison.

"You guys aren't really with the FBI are you?" he asked once he was sure they were alone.

Hardison shook his head. "I wondered how long it would take for you to figure out," he said.

Taggert laughed. "I should really arrest you for impersonating federal agents, but I guess I can turn a blind eye. After all you have helped us out a lot."

"Does McSweeten know?" Hardison asked.

"No, and I'm not going to tell him. Don't worry, your secret's safe with me." Taggert drew in a breath. "I uh, I don't suppose you'll tell me your real name?"

Hardison chuckled and shook his head. "Nah man, sorry, you know how it is."

Taggert nodded and turned to go. Hardison thought for a moment then called after him.

"Hey, Taggert!"

Hardison ran up and handed him a piece of paper. "You need any help, any time, that number will reach me."

Taggert smiled. "Thanks. Good luck to you, sir."

"Good luck to you man." Hardison saluted. Taggert returned the salute and followed the other agents.

Hardison heard applause from behind him. He turned to see Nate, Eliot, Sophie and Parker emerging from the shadows. Parker ran up to him and hugged him.

"You, uh, you didn't give him your real number did you?" Nate asked.

"Nuh-uh man, what do you take me for? That number's untraceable. It'll still reach me though."

"Good." Nate turned and left the car park. Sophie smiled at Parker and Hardison and followed him. Eliot nodded and left as well.

It was just the two of them. Parker and Hardison. Cerys and Alec.

Parker looked at Hardison. "So is that it? Is it over?"

Hardison smiled at her warmly as they made their way out of the car park. "No way girl, I think we're just getting started."

* * *

**A/N It's actually quite hard to do flashbacks in the style of the show. I hope they came across well.**

**And it could be just me but I think Taggert is the more intelligent of the two. He'd be the one to twig that Hardison and Parker aren't real FBI, if only because of his years of experience.  
**


	10. The House Rules

**Disclaimer: Leverage is (c) 2009 Leverage Holdings Inc.**

**The House Rules**

"So... any idea what this is about?" Hardison asked.

"No, Eliot just said to meet him at the club," Sophie replied.

It was a week after the conclusion of the fake gold business and there had been no further jobs. Each one of them had taken this opportunity to celebrate in their own way, which really just came down to Nate and Sophie spending all their time together, and Hardison and Parker doing likewise.

Eliot had disappeared three days ago. He had texted them all to say he was okay and not to worry, which of course made all of them worry, then after that there had been no word until tonight. Two hours ago he sent them a message telling them to come and meet him at the Paradise Rock Club. And to dress up.

Each one of them had their own opinions as to what was going on but, as requested, they all made an effort to look smart. Nate was wearing a dark suit with a white shirt, open at the collar. Sophie had chosen a red dress which was of course just the right mix of casual and sophisticated. Hardison was wearing a dark blue polo neck sweater with dark jeans and Parker...

Parker had asked Hardison what sort of place this Paradise Rock Club was. He told her that it specialised in rock and country music and had played host to some of the biggest bands of the last thirty years. Parker took that information away and pondered it, eventually deciding on the outfit she was now wearing.

She was wearing a short-sleeved red plaid shirt, tied off in front, with a white vest underneath. Along with this she also had on a pair of light blue denim shorts and brown boots which came up to mid-calf. She had left her hair down and had decided on a dark brown cowboy hat to complete the outfit.

When Hardison saw her his mouth ran dry. On anyone else the outfit might have looked cheesy, ridiculous even, but Parker somehow managed to carry it off with her innate child-like innocence. She grinned shyly under his gaze.

"What? You said country music, right?"

Hardison grinned and finally found his voice. "Mama, you look fantastic." He offered her his arm.

Parker smiled and threaded her arm into his and together they left his apartment – now technically speaking their apartment as she spent all her time there anyway – and made their way to the bar to meet Nate and Sophie. Along the way Parker's hand slipped down and grasped Hardison's. He held it tightly.

Upon reaching the bar they found Nate and Sophie waiting for them. Sophie was busy brushing dust off Nate's suit, while Nate was protesting like a schoolboy. Nate pounced on Parker and Hardison's arrival with immense relief.

"Shall we go then?" he asked and together they all left and walked to the club.

...

The club was crowded. Whatever the reason Eliot had decided to meet them here, he couldn't have chosen a more public place. Around them they could hear people whispering. Apparently there was going to be a popular band playing there that night. Parker, meanwhile, was mesmerised.

"Look at all the wallets..." she breathed. Nate put a hand on her shoulder.

"Parker, no. We are not going to steal from them." He couldn't help smiling though.

"But Nate!" Hardison thought she sounded exactly like a child denied her favourite toy when she said that. "They're right there! Just sticking out! They wouldn't even notice." Nate shook his head. Parker gave up and sat on a barstool, sulking.

Hardison sat next to her and put his arm gently round her waist. "Hey, cheer up Mama." He lifted her head up. She pouted at him then smiled. Hardison grinned. "That's my girl."

"So where do you think Eliot is?" Sophie asked Nate, looking round and trying to pick him out.

...

Eliot was in a room near the back of the club. He was looking out at the main club floor through a glass window. He heard the door open and turned round, his face lighting up in a smile.

"You came."

Kaye Lynn Gold came up and gave him a hug. "Of course I did. You didn't think I'd miss this, did you?"

Eliot nodded, genuinely happy to see her. "How did it go?"

"Great. They're all here. Don't worry, they're very good friends of mine. They won't let you down." She drew her face close to his. "And neither will I."

Eliot swallowed as she started to lean in, then she abruptly let him go. "I have something for you," she said, digging around in her bag. She pulled out a small item and held it out to him. "Here."

Eliot took the object and looked at it quizzically. It was a small rectangular plastic box, of the same type he had seen when running a con against the corrupt record producer Mitchell Kirkwood. He opened it. Inside was a black cassette.

Eliot looked up. "What's this?"

Kaye Lynn smiled at him. "It's the digital master for 'Thinking of You'."

Eliot held it back out to her. "Kaye Lynn, I can't take this. This is your song. It's the last song you and your brother wrote together! It belongs to you!"

She shook her head. "No it doesn't. It's not mine, it's yours. It was yours the moment you went onto that stage in Tenessee." She closed his hand around the tape and held her hand there for a few moments. Eliot looked at her and she looked at him and, without any hesitation, they were kissing each other.

Kaye Lynn pulled back eventually. "It's time. We should go." She still held onto his hand.

Eliot nodded and allowed her to lead him out of the door.

...

Nate looked around in surprise as the lights started to dim.

"Wonder what's happening," he murmured to Sophie. She shook her head. No idea.

A man, presumably the owner of the club, appeared on the stage. Behind him, other staff set up seats and microphones.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to the Paradise Rock Lounge. Tonight it gives me great pleasure to welcome one of America's most talented young stars, Kaye Lynn Gold!"

The crowd erupted into wild applause. Nate thought the name sounded familiar but didn't make the connection until the girl in question came onto the stage along with what presumably was her support band. They took up their positions on the stage.

"Ain't she the girl we did that job for? When Eliot became a rock star for a day?" Hardison whispered to him.

Nate nodded. "This can't be a coincidence."

They all fell silent as Kaye Lynn stepped up to the microphone. "Hey there everyone! I hope you're all feeling great tonight!" The crowd roared in response. Kaye Lynn continued speaking. "Well we have a very special guest joining us tonight. He's been lying low for a while but he's here tonight! Please put your hands together for Kenneth Crane!"

Nate, Sophie, Hardison and Parker were shocked into silence as Eliot walked out onto the stage carrying a guitar and took up position next to Kaye Lynn. The crowd, of course, went wild. They all remembered the rising star who suddenly appeared on the music scene a few months ago and who had mysteriously vanished just as quickly.

Eliot strummed a few notes of his guitar and the crowd went silent. The air was thick with a sense of anticipation. Eliot started the opening bars of 'Thinking of You' and the rest of the band joined in as he sang a duet with Kaye Lynn, their eyes fixed on each other.

"Something's wrong." Parker hissed to Hardison.

"What?" Hardison couldn't see anything wrong.

"It sounds like there's only one person singing. That can't be right. There's two of them up there."

Hardison smiled. "That just shows how good they are." They really were fantastic, he had to admit. If anything it sounded even better than it did the first time Eliot sang that song.

When the song finished the crowd went wild again. Eliot and Kaye Lynn hugged each other and then Eliot took the microphone.

"How you all doing tonight? I hope you're having fun!" The crowd roared again. Eliot waited a moment then carried on speaking. "That's good, because we're all here to have a good time. And if you're gonna be here, you have to obey the House Rules!" Without missing a beat he struck up a new tune. This time Kaye Lynn didn't join in, she just played her own guitar.

The song had a solid beat and Hardison found his head bobbing in time with music. He looked at Parker and noticed that she was swaying as well. As the song went on more and more people around them were dancing and Parker herself got up, her body moving naturally and rhythmically. Hardison couldn't take his eyes off her.

When the last chorus finished, during which Eliot got the crowd to join in, which they did so with gusto, the applause was deafening. Eliot just smiled hugely.

"Thank you, thank you all. These next few songs are dedicated to a special group of people who I am proud to call my friends, even prouder to call my family. They know who they are." He adjusted his guitar. "This first song is about a man who has lost nearly everything he owns, and is willing to risk the little he has left on one single moment. It's called Seven Days."

Nate looked up as the song was played. Even though the words didn't strictly apply to him he could still identify with the man they spoke of. After all, he had lost his wife, his son and his job and spent his days gambling everything he had left to make life better for himself, his team and others. He raised his glass to Eliot. Eliot nodded back, his lips twitching into an acknowledgement.

The song ended. Eliot spoke up again. "Thank you! Next is a song about those relationships that never seem to get anywhere, they only go right round to the beginning again. Making Circles."

This time it was Sophie who felt the sense of the song. Somehow it seemed to sum up her relationship with Nate exactly. She looked across to him and he looked back to her, an unreadable expression on his face. He walked over to her and offered her his hand. She took it and he drew her out of her chair and they started to dance slowly, their bodies close together, never once taking their eyes off each other.

Hardison grinned and nodded. He turned to Parker, who was beaming, and clinked his glass against hers.

Once again the crowd showed their appreciation in the most deafening way possible. Eliot felt tears gathering in his eyes as he listened to the applause. "Now I'm sure you've been all over the country, and I'm sure you've met girls from every state. But there's always one girl you keep coming back to, right? She's unique, she's special, she's American Made!"

Hardison looked over at where Parker was sitting, only to see she wasn't there. She was out on the dance floor. Hardison went to join her and they were soon dancing together. He could see that she knew this song was for her, and she lost herself in it, her eyes closed, raising her arms above her head as her body moved in time to the beat. Hardison put his hands gently around her waist and she leaned into him, still dancing.

Finally the song finished and Parker opened her eyes and grinned widely at Hardison. She leaned forward and kissed him quickly. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her back for a longer kiss.

Eliot took the microphone again. "Finally, this song is for those of us, and we've all been there, who feel that life is trapping us and we can't get out. But there is always hope. Someday, Something's Gotta Give!"

Hardison recognised the song even though he had never heard it before. It was how he had felt before meeting the others, before meeting Parker. He knew how lucky he was to have her in his life and he knew that he would never let her go. Parker smiled at him, as though reading his mind, and held out her hand to him. He took it and she led him away from the dance floor, to the exit and into the night.

When the song finished and the audience was crying out for more, Sophie turned to Nate, who was standing with his arm around her. "Where did Parker and Hardison go?" she asked..

Nate just smiled. "I'm sure they're hanging around somewhere. You know, on top of things."

...

Hardison stood on the edge of the tallest building in Boston. He felt some of the fear he usually felt in these situations, but the fear was banished by his love for the woman in front of him.

Parker finished checking his harness and her own and attached ropes to them both. She stood in front of him, close enough that he could feel her breath. Her cowboy hat was lying somewhere on the roof behind her.

"Are you sure about this?" she asked him, concern evident in her eyes.

"More than anything," he replied. Parker wrapped her arms around him and held him tightly. Hardison in turn put his own arms around her. They could feel each other's heart's beating thunderously.

Parker looked up into Hardison's eyes. "I love you Alec."

Hardison looked down at her just as intensely. "I love you too Cerys."

They kissed each other and as they did so Parker leaned forward and threw them both off the roof.

The ropes span out as they plummeted two hundred feet, finally jerking to a halt as the ropes reached their length.

After that the only sound that could be heard was the creaking of the rope and Parker's giggling.

_All that glitters is not gold. _Hardison thought to himself as they hung, suspended, far above the ground.

_Sometimes it's even better._

_

* * *

_**A/N A few things to say here:**

**First, this was going to be the last chapter but I've had a few more ideas since then so there will be more to come.**

**Next, I'm probably the only one not to realise this but I've just realised that Kenneth Crane is more or less a mashup of Christian Kane :D**

**And if you haven't yet got Christian Kane's album The House Rules you should. Right now. I was listening to it and I realised that some of the songs applied to the characters. To clarify:**

**The House Rules - Eliot**

**Seven Days - Nate**

**Making Circles - Sophie**

**American Made - Parker**

**Something's Gotta Give - Hardison**

**And I brought Kaye Lynn back because I really liked her and I thought her and Eliot make a good couple (better than Eliot and Amy at least)**

**So yeah it's not over yet.  
**


	11. Meet The Foster Parents

**Disclaimer: Leverage is (c) 2009 Leverage Holdings Inc.**

**Meet The Foster Parents**

"Ready?" Hardison asked.

Parker nodded.

Hardison rang the doorbell on the oak-panelled door. The sound of the chimes reverberated throughout the house. As they faded footsteps could be heard approaching the door. Parker swallowed hard, anxiety radiating from her.

It had been her idea to come here, after all, so why was she so nervous?

The door opened and a short, stocky woman of west indian descent appeared. She looked to be in her mid to late sixties. She came forward and embraced Hardison tightly.

"Alec, how are you? It's great to see you!"

Hardison grinned. "Hi, Nana!"

The woman released him and turned to Parker. "And this must be the girl you were telling me about. What's your name, dear?"

"Uh... Cerys, ma'am." Parker was still not used to using her real name.

The woman laughed. "Pssht! Ma'am! No need to be so formal! My name's Laverne Hardison. But you can call me Laverne." She smiled broadly at Parker, showing an array of dazzling white teeth. Parker managed a nervous grin in response, which turned into surprise as Laverne seized her in a hug as enthusiastic as the one she gave Hardison.

She released Parker and beckoned them both inside. "Come in, come in, I was just getting ready to make dinner."

No sooner had they stepped inside when there was an almighty cry from upstairs. "UNCLE ALEC!" Two small children, a boy and a girl, bounded down the stairs and flew into Hardison's arms.

"Guys, guys! It's great to see you! Wow you're getting big!" Hardison said as he struggled to keep his footing.

"Are you staying for dinner, Uncle Alec?" the girl asked.

Parker heard a laugh from another room. She turned to see a girl of about seventeen watching them. "Bobby and Franny love Alec. He's like a big brother to them," the girl explained, indicating Hardison and the two children. "Actually, I suppose he is in a way." She held her hand out to Parker. "Hi, I'm Sandra."

"I'm Cerys." Parker shook her hand.

Sandra tilted her head and looked at Parker appraisingly. "Nana told us Alec was bringing his lady friend round. That must be you then."

Parker was saved from answering when Laverne ushered them all into the lounge. The two children – Bobby and Franny – held onto Hardison.

"Nana, can Uncle Alec come and play with us?" Bobby asked.

Franny nodded vigorously. "And can Big Sis come as well?" She grabbed Sandra's hand.

Laverne smiled. "Of course." Hardison and Sandra were led out of the room, leaving Parker alone with Laverne.

Parker felt a familiar sensation rise up inside her. _Fear_. Laverne seemed nice enough but she was a foster parent, and Parker had never had any good experiences with foster parents. Everyone of them had hurt her, beaten her, neglected her or abused her in some way. Her feelings must have shown on her face as Laverne looked at her searchingly.

"Am I making you nervous, dear?" she asked. Parker just lowered her gaze to the floor. Laverne nodded slightly in understanding.

"You were in foster care, weren't you?"

Parker nodded slowly.

"And you were moved from family to family."

Again Parker nodded, feeling tears start to sting the sides of her eyes.

"And they all treated you terribly."

"How do you know all this?" Parker whispered. "Did Alec tell you?"

Laverne shook her head. "Dear, I've been a foster parent for thirty years. I know the signs." She indicated a photo on the wall. It showed a woman, presumably Laverne herself at a much younger age, and a man. They looked happy together. "That photo was taken the day my late husband Frank asked me to marry him. I had to tell him it was impossible for me to have any children of my own. I thought he would change his mind but he said not to worry, we'd adopt. Well we took in our first child shortly after our wedding. Then we took in more. Frank passed away about ten years ago and I thought I might have to stop doing it. Fortunately some of the older children – like Alec – helped me out."

Parker was still looking down at the floor so Laverne got up from her seat and kneeled down in front of her so she could see her face. "Every child I've taken in has had the same story. They were abandoned by their parents, shuffled from home to home, unloved, neglected, sometimes beaten and abused. It always takes time for them to open up, to realise that they can have a proper home here. Some of them take days, some take weeks. In fact," she motioned back to the door Alec had been taken through, "When Alec came to me he was in a terrible state. His last set of foster parents had been alcoholics. They would leave him to fend for himself while they went out to bars. Sometimes they wouldn't come back until the early hours of the morning. He was only five! It took him a week and a half to understand that I wasn't going to leave him like they had. I raised him like I raise all of them, just like he was my own flesh and blood."

Laverned sighed. Parker finally turned her face up from the ground to meet Laverne's gaze. Laverne's eyes were starting to fill up with tears. "My only regret is that I can't help them all. For every child that comes to me there are ten that have to go through unimaginable suffering. I know I can't get to every one of them but it still hurts when I meet one of the ones I couldn't help." She put her hands on Parker's and held them tight. "I'm so sorry. I'm sorry for what you had to go through. I'm sorry I couldn't get to you first."

Parker felt a tear run down her cheek. "Laverne, I... I..."

Laverne smiled as tears ran down her own cheek. "I think you can call me Nana now."

That was it. Parker started crying uncontrollably. Laverne held out her arms. "Come here," she said. Parker leaned forward and embraced Laverne tightly, tighter than she had ever held on to anything before. She felt Laverne's strong arms wrap around her as she closed her eyes and poured out her pain and grief for all those years she grew up never knowing the love of a parent.

...

Hardison opened the door to the lounge quietly. His first reaction upon seeing Nana and Parker embracing each other was surprise, then he smiled. He heard movement behind him.

"Looks like Nana's adopted a new family member," Sandra said quietly. Hardison could tell she also had a smile on her face.

Hardison nodded and just watched the scene before him. Parker's eyes, red and puffy from crying, opened and met his. She smiled slightly and for a moment Hardison didn't see the thief or the woman he loved. He saw a little girl finally with a mother who loved her in the way that only a mother can. Not wanting to interrupt any further, he closed the door quietly. He felt tears gathering in his own eyes.

...

Dinner that evening was a grand affair. Laverne had called some of her old children, now grown up with their own lives and families, and they had come round to the house. Hardison was embroiled in a mass of back slapping and handshakes and hugs from people he had grown up with and he seemed to be enjoying every moment of it. It seemed that reunions such as these were rare occasions and they all lost no time in catching up with each other's lives and gossip.

What surprised Parker the most was that these people knew exactly what Hardison did for a living. They just took the fact that he was a hacker in their stride and laughed and joked about it as if it was the most normal thing in the world – which, seeing as he had grown up with them, it probably was.

"So Alec," one of them would ask, "I saw on the news last month that some corrupt corporate executive had been taken down. That you?"

Hardison nodded. "You better believe it. Me and my friends, there ain't nothing we can't do!"

"What about Cerys? Does she know what she's getting into?" another asked, motioning with his fork towards Parker.

Hardison just smiled. "She's right there in the thick of it with us."

They were all sitting around a large table with Parker and Hardison next to Laverne, and Sandra, Bobby and Franny next to them. The food was immense and never ending – Laverne did not believe in doing things by halves – and consisted of steak, chicken, chips, pies, almost everything they could ever think of. Parker did not hold back, wolfing down second and third and even fourth helpings. Even Bobby and Franny managed to get through more than they looked like they should.

Eventually the food did begin to wear down, at which point Laverne returned to the kitchen and produced a vast array of desserts and puddings. Ignoring Parker's protestations that she could not eat another thing Laverne set a huge bowl of apple pie and ice cream in front of her.

After dinner had officially finished and they were all relaxing and generally chatting to each other Laverne stood up and rapped a knife against her glass. When she had silence she spoke.

"I'm sure you all know me by now, at least after this many years you should," this caused a few chuckles, but Laverne didn't stop for long. "I'll have any excuse for us all to get together and have a good time. And when one of our family returns after a long time away," here she indicated Hardison, who just smiled and waved, "Well it's certainly a special occasion. It's even more special when we can welcome someone new into the family." She indicated Parker, who started to feel her eyes welling up again. "Cerys, I know we've only just met, but you're as much a part of this family as any other person at this table, and no matter how far away you are, you'll always have a home here."

As everybody cheered and clapped Parker felt tears running down her cheek. Hardison put his arm around her shoulders and held her close. She smiled and nodded at the others, and underneath the table she grasped Hardison's other hand tightly with both of her own.

...

It was finally time for them to leave. Bobby and Franny went up to bed after a goodnight kiss from both Uncle Alec and Auntie Cerys. Sandra smiled as she hugged Hardison.

"You've found a good one there," she said.

Hardison smiled. "She's more than good, she's the best."

Sandra then turned to give Parker a hug while Hardison went to say goodbye to Laverne.

"You look after her, you hear me?" Laverne ordered him with a smile. "And make sure I'm the first to be invited to the wedding."

Hardison spluttered. "Wedding? Nana, I haven't even thought about that! It's nowhere near that time yet!"

Laverne lightly cuffed him on the ear. "Don't lie to me boy, I can see it in your eyes. You've been thinking about it alright. You've been thinking about it ever since you met her." She leaned in close and spoke softly into his ear. "I know because I was thinking the same thing when I first met my Frank and I was thinking about it every day since then and I know he was too. He told me so when he asked me to marry him."

She moved back and brushed some dust from his shirt. "Now off you go before I start crying."

Hardison kissed her on the cheek and then led Parker out of the door and down to their car. On the way she asked him what Laverne had said to him. He blushed.

...

Laverne watched them go from an upstairs window. Despite what she had said, she was indeed crying.

"You treat her good now, son. I'm so proud of you."

There was a crash behind her. She turned with the full fury for which she was legendary.

"BOBBY! BED! NOW!"

* * *

**A/N Okay I admit it. I cried during this one. I cried when I thought of it, I cried when I wrote it, and I cried when I read it back through. Very manly of me. That scene between Parker and Hardison's foster mother gets me each time. Not too sure what that says about me.**

**For the record I wasn't brought up with a foster family so I can only imagine what it must be like for children on both sides of the equation. I just hope that I've done it some sort of justice.**

**Incidentally Nana was based on the actress Aloma Wright, who among other roles - including Laverne on Scrubs, hence the name - played a lady on Cold Case who ran a cafe and helped homeless kids, even fostering some of them. Her character didn't end up too well in that show as she and her husband were the victims-of-the-week, but it still struck me as being the sort of person Hardison describes when talking about Nana.**

**So yeah I hope you liked it.  
**


	12. The Sad People

**Disclaimer: Leverage is (c) 2009 Leverage Holdings Inc. Also this chapter contains spoilers for the musical Les Miserables ( (c) 2011 Cameron Mackintosh Overseas Limited) so if you haven't seen it proceed with caution.**

**The Sad People**

"Seriously?" Hardison could not believe his ears.

"Of course seriously. Why would I lie about that?" Parker responded.

They were in Hardison's apartment, sitting on his sofa, Parker's head on Hardison's shoulder, a bowl of pretzels and an open bottle of orange soda on the table in front of them. Parker had just dropped a huge bombshell on Hardison.

Hardison shook his head. "Are you telling me that you've never seen Les Miserables? The greatest musical ever?"

Parker shook her head. "Nope. Never seen it."

Hardison immediately got up and went to his laptop. Sitting down in front of it he started typing furiously, his fingers a blur as they flew across the keyboard. He was mumbling to himself as he worked.

"Let's see... nope, nope, Saturdays only, just finished the run, ah! There we go." He looked up at Parker, who was now standing behind him, her hands on his shoulders. He grinned. "It's on at the Odeon Playhouse tonight. It's not too far from here. We need to rectify this shocking mistake."

"Why do you like it so much?" Parker asked him.

Hardison sighed. "Nana took us years ago. It was the first time I'd ever been to the theatre. It was one of the best nights of my life and it just sort of stuck with me."

He didn't tell her the rest of the story. It had been the night after the funeral of Nana's husband, Frank. The funeral had been an emotional time for her and for the rest of them, so she had taken them out to watch Les Miserables to thank them for standing by her. Afterwards she told Hardison that Les Miserables had been the first date Frank had taken her on.

"Hey!" Parker snapped her fingers in front of Hardison's face. Hardison blinked the memory away.

"Okay, uh, two tickets coming right up," he stammered.

...

The Odeon Playhouse was full. Hardison had managed to get the last two tickets available and he and Parker squeezed their way through other people on their way to their seats. At least he squeezed. Parker just glided through, although she clenched her hands tightly to avoid the temptation to relieve the other theatre-goers of their money that was just sitting there, waiting...

They finally reached the seats Hardison had booked. As she sat down, Parker couldn't help but wonder if this was going to be as good as Hardison had insisted. He had bought a programme for them and Parker leafed through it, immediately noticing that the entire story was laid out on the second page. If the story was given right at the start then what was the point? And the idea that a two hour story could be told entirely through singing didn't seem to be too clever to her. She relaxed in her chair, not expecting to be impressed.

The first few scenes did little to dissuade her from this opinion, but eventually she found herself becoming more and more entranced. Indeed, after the first half finished with the entire cast on stage she jumped to her feet along with the rest of the audience, clapping and cheering as the cast bowed and left the stage.

Hardison leaned over to her. "So what do you think of it so far, Mama?"

She grinned. "It's great! I didn't think it would be but it is!"

Hardison smiled. "It gets better, trust me."

The second half soon started and sure enough Parker was quickly leaning forward in her seat in anticipation of what was going to happen. Even though she had read the summary in the programme three times it still didn't prepare her for the magnificence she was seeing on the stage as the events unfolded.

It certainly didn't prepare her for Eponine's solo about how the boy she loved would never love her. Whether it was the actress playing her in this case, or whether this song was always this powerful she didn't know or care. All she knew was that she was suddenly feeling tears running uncontrollably down her cheeks. Quick as a flash she grabbed Hardison's hand and didn't let go, squeezing tighter and tighter through Eponine's death scene, the fall of the barricade, right the way through to the emotional finale.

When the story had ended and the cast were taking their bows on stage and singing the encore Parker was standing and clapping, but she couldn't cheer as she was feeling too choked up. She looked over at Hardison and his eyes were watering even though he had seen it before. She reached over and hugged him tightly, smiling all over her face.

"Thank you," she whispered in his ear, "This was one of the best nights of my life!"

...

As they were leaving the theatre Parker couldn't help but hug the staff member at the door. He looked shocked as she launched herself at him and embraced him tightly.

Hardison just laughed. "You'll have to forgive her. It's the first time she's seen this show. I think she liked it."

"No problem," said the man awkwardly as he managed to untangle himself from Parker's arms. "I'm afraid it might be the last time though, for this theatre at least."

"What do you mean?" Parker asked him.

He shook his head sadly. "We're closing down next week. A property developer is going to buy the site and clear it and build apartment blocks instead. The Odeon Playhouse is finished."

Parker and Hardison were shocked into silence. At that moment a man in an expensive suit walked by and the doorman called out to him.

"Mr Charles!"

The man, Mr Charles, came over. "Yes, what is it Leroy?"

Leroy indicated Hardison and Parker. "These people were just asking about the theatre sale sir."

Hardison shook Mr Charles's hand. "I'm sorry sir. Is there anything that can be done?"

Mr Charles shook his head. "We tried appealing to the state but they said the sale was legal. We weren't even consulted! We just received a letter one day telling us this land is about to be sold! We were offered money by the developer but it was just a pittance." He sighed and smoothed out his suit. "I'm sorry, I don't want to spoil your evening. I hope you had a good time."

Parker couldn't help herself. She hugged him. "Don't worry, everything will be fine," she reassured him. Mr Charles didn't look too reassured but he managed a smile and a nod.

Hardison and Parker walked out hand in hand back to their car. They were both deep in thought.

...

"Come on Nate, I say we take this one."

It was the next day. Hardison had been up all night investigating what he could about the theatre's sale. He was now trying to convince Nate that they should do something about it.

"I'm sorry Hardison. If it was a legitimate sale then there's nothing we can do about it." Nate shook his head. He could see Hardison was agitated but there had to be a line somewhere. They couldn't swoop in without a valid reason.

"I'm not sure it was legitimate though. Look at this," Hardison pulled up a record of the sale on his laptop to show Nate, "This isn't even a fraction of what that place is worth. And the sale's going through way too quickly. Something stinks."

Nate sighed. Then an idea occurred to him. "Hardison, if you think something's wrong, then you should be the one to do something about it."

Hardison brightened. "You mean..."

Nate nodded. "You can take charge. But don't come running to me when it all blows up in your face."

Hardison whooped for joy before taking his laptop and running up the stairs.

...

"Okay, here we have Jonathan and Margaret Williams. They run a property development agency." Hardison was giving the briefing. He had put together all the information he found, which was naturally quite a lot. The screens were currently showing a man and a woman, obviously successful business people.

"Are they man and wife?" Sophie asked. When told that Hardison would be in charge she had simply shrugged and accepted it. Parker was just happy that something would be done. Eliot had raised some objections, that is to say he raised a lot, but he reluctantly agreed.

"Actually no." Hardison shook his head. "Believe it or not, they're brother and sister. Okay, step-brother and step-sister. It seems their parents married when they were kids."

"What are you thinking, Sophie?" Nate asked. He was trying to take a back seat and let Hardison lead, but he still wanted to be on top of things in case something went wrong.

Sophie pointed at the photos of the Williams siblings. "Look at them. Margaret always seems to be the more prominent figure. It looks like Jonathan is in her shadow."

"So you're thinking maybe drive a wedge between them?" Hardison asked, "Maybe cosy up to the brother and get him to turn on his sister?"

"It should work." Sophie nodded her head.

"We would still need evidence of some sort of fraud or corruption," Hardison said, "Remember this sale is happening without a single hitch. Something like that should be in their offices."

"So we get them out of the office." Eliot's eyes narrowed. "How?"

Hardison brought up an image of the theatre and a poster for Les Miserables. "The theatre is having a closing night performance of Les Miserables. They're promising it'll be the most spectacular production ever. They want to go out with a bang."

Sophie smiled. "Les Miserables... I was in that a few years ago. I was Cosette."

Parker had a mental image of Sophie as Cosette in the previous night's performance and shuddered. Hardison on the other hand quickly carried on.

"Anyway the Williams will be there. Eliot can use that time to break into their office." Hardison looked at Nate. "I think we should have someone on the inside though, to make sure the theatre's production goes ahead as planned."

"You think it might be sabotaged?" Nate asked.

Hardison nodded. "If it's as successful as the theatre owners hope then there's a danger that there will be a public outcry, which would not do Jonathan and Margaret any good."

Nate shrugged. "It's your job, Hardison. I would say one thing though." He waited for Hardison to motion for him to continue. "If you're worried about the theatre then maybe you should have two people in there?"

"Ooh, ooh me! I pick me!" Sophie's hand shot up and she bounced up and down on her seat.

"Well actually I was going to suggest Parker," Hardison nodded to her. Sophie visibly deflated. "She can get a job as a stagehand, that way she'll be able to get everywhere with no suspicions. But if you think we should send someone else in..." He looked at the image for a moment then grinned. "I think it's time to bring Temi the Wadatan Wunderkind out of retirement."

He looked back to the rest of them. "Okay, any questions? No? Lets do it then." Nobody moved.

Nate cleared his throat. "Uh, you're supposed to say 'Let's go steal a...'"

Hardison shook his head. "Okay people, let's go steal ourselves the greatest musical in the world!"

"And walk away." Nate added.

Hardison glared at him, turned and walked straight into the wall.

"The other way." Nate said quietly.

* * *

**A/N So I saw Les Miserables for the first time the other week. Wow. If you haven't seen it go and see it. Right now. Don't worry, I'll wait.**

**Seen it? Good.**

**Okay this chapter and the next few chapters contain spoilers for the story of Les Miserables so if you still haven't seen it then be warned. You should see it though. It's fantastic.  
**


	13. Dramatis Personae

**Disclaimer: Leverage is (c) 2009 Leverage Holdings Inc. Also this chapter contains spoilers for the musical Les Miserables ( (c) 2011 Cameron Mackintosh Overseas Limited) so if you haven't seen it proceed with caution.**

**Dramatis Personae**

Getting Parker in place as a stagehand was surprisingly easy. The owner of the theatre – Mr Charles – remembered her from the other night's performance and, on hearing that she was looking for experience in the theatre industry was more than willing to take her on, for a minimal wage. His decision was also influenced by the fact that they were a bit short handed at the time, as some of the staff had already left to work elsewhere.

And so Parker found herself spending the day carrying props and paperwork around from place to place. Truth be told she found the actual work a bit boring, but she was able to get into a lot of the areas – dressing rooms, storage, the control room for the main stage and the like. She nearly swooned when she first entered the costume stores and saw the actual costumes worn by Eponine, Marius and the other characters. It was all she could do not to try one on and see how it fitted her.

Parker also found herself making friends easily with the other staff. Her bright smile seemed infectious and whenever she entered a room the other people found their moods lifting, as if a ray of sunshine had entered with her.

All in all, she thought, this wasn't so bad.

...

If Parker was having an easy time, Hardison was having it even easier. The conductor and several of the players of the orchestra had all heard of the African Maestro who had brought the house down a few months ago, and on hearing from Temi's agent – Nate of course – that he would be bringing his own instrument, a Stradivarius no less, the arrangements were made immediately.

When he arrived at the theatre that morning he was met with handshakes and back slapping from the few who had heard him before, and when he took out his violin and played for them – Scheherazade of course – everyone else lost no time in welcoming him to their number.

After an hour or so of playing through the music Hardison found himself a little disappointed. Whether it was the lingering effects of Nate's hypnosis or whether it was because Hardison had been playing the instrument almost constantly, he found the music to be quite easy to play. Without the voices it certainly lost some of its impact and he found himself mentally supplying the words to the songs.

He gave it no less than his best though and the others congratulated him on picking it up so quickly. Despite the lack of a challenge he found that he was enjoying himself.

The pieces were falling into place.

...

"Mr Hendrikson? Pleased to meet you." Jonathan Williams shook Nate's hand as they stood in the lobby of Williams & Williams Ltd. Nate nodded and brought Sophie forward.

"And this is my PA, Miss Bouquet," Nate said.

"Pleased to meet you Mr Williams," Sophie said in a smooth french accent as she held her hand out to Jonathan.

Jonathan smiled as he took her hand and brought it to her lips. "Please, my friends call me Jon."

"Very well, Jon then." Sophie smiled her best smile at him.

Jonathan quickly swallowed and motioned them to the lifts. "Shall we? My office is on the seventh floor."

They stayed silent during the ride up. The door opened once they reached the seventh floor and Jonathan led them down a plant-lined corridor to his office. It turned out that he shared his office with his sister, and she was there already. She stood up when they entered and introductions were made.

Margaret Williams quickly took charge. "Mr Hendrikson, what exactly can we do for you?"

Nate sat down on an armchair. "I understand that you are planning to buy the land around the Odeon Playhouse. Quite simply, I want that land."

Jonathan audibly stifled a chuckle. Margaret just smirked.

"Mr Hendrikson," she spoke slowly, as if explaining to a child, "I don't know what you have been told, but I'm afraid that is quite out of the question. You see, the sale has already been agreed, and will be finalised at the end of the week."

"For a fraction of what the land is actually worth, of course." Nate narrowed his eyes at Margaret. "With the theatre there it should fetch ten times the amount you're paying for it. I can pay three times that."

"I'm sorry, Mr Hendrikson." Margaret's tone was firm. "This is not up for discussion. Jonathan, please show these two people out."

Jonathan led them back to the lift in silence. Once they were in the lift on the way to the ground floor Sophie turned to him.

"Why do you let her speak to you like that?" she asked.

Jonathan grimaced. "She's always been the business part of our family."

"But you could do so much better yourself." Sophie ran a hand down his jacket. He went red.

"You... you think so? I don't know..." He trailed off as his brow furrowed. Sophie caught Nate's eye and sent him a quick wink.

The wedge had been driven in. Now all they had to do was wait until it split the brother and sister apart.

...

When Parker arrived at the theatre two days later she found that people were talking in hushed whispers. She caught one of them and asked what was going on.

"It's Maggie." Maggie was the girl who played Eponine. "She's been in an accident. It happened yesterday."

"Is she okay?" Parker asked.

"She's got a couple of broken bones. Nothing serious but she'll be in hospital for the next week!"

Parker's heart sank. No Maggie meant no Eponine, and no Eponine meant no final performance. She moved away until she could be on her own then contacted Nate. "Nate, we have a problem. One of the girls here has had an accident. It looks like the final performance will have to be cancelled."

Nate's voice came into her ear. "Okay, Parker, don't panic. We're working on the developers now. Things should be moving soon."

Parker was about to reply when one of the set dressers found her and asked her to bring a stack of cloth to the store room. She nodded, took the load and walked off, humming to herself as she did so.

...

Mr Charles was decidedly unhappy. Maggie had been one of the star performers and to have her in hospital like this, well disaster didn't even begin to describe it. He had wanted the last night to be the best night the theatre had ever had, only now it looked like they would go out with a whimper rather than a bang.

He looked up from his computer as he heard someone humming outside his door. It sounded like they were humming "On My Own." He opened the door to find the new stagehand walking past, carrying cloth which presumably was headed for storage. He looked again. She was blonde, like Maggie. Maybe...

"Excuse me miss?" he called after her.

Parker turned at the sound of his voice. "Yes sir?"

"Would you come in here a moment please?" He showed her into his office and sat down at his desk.

"I'm sure you've heard that Maggie is... unavailable for the final night." Parker nodded as he spoke. His next words shocked her into silence. "I was wondering, I know it's a big thing to ask, but do you think you would be able to take her place?"

Parker could feel her jaw working up and down as she tried to form a response. She nodded slowly, then faster and faster. Along the way she found her voice. "Yes, yes of course if you think I can."

Mr Charles nodded. "You seem to know the musical well. Go and see the musical director, he should be on stage now."

Parker hurried out of the office, leaving the stack of cloth behind.

...

The musical director – a big german man named Herr Menkel – was indeed on the stage, double checking the acoustics with the help of an upright piano he had wheeled out. Parker found him and told him what Mr Charles had said to her.

"Ja, ja, so Herr Charles has asked you to play the part of Eponine?" He looked over her as he spoke. "Hmm. Well you look right for the part, but music is all about the sound, ja?" With that he took a sheet of music from the piano and handed it to her. "Would you please sing that for me?"

Parker was nervous but, she reminded herself, this was all part of the act she was putting on. The song in question was from a scene near the end of the first half. Parker did her best to sing it.

Herr Menkel nodded. "Ja, not bad. Not bad at all. Better than most people's first attempt in fact." He gave her another sheet. "Now this, please."

This time it was part of Eponine's solo "On My Own". Again Parker sang like she did before, only this time Herr Menkel waved at her to stop.

"No, no you're doing it the same as the other piece. Singing like that will get you through the first half with no problem, after all you'll be singing with others. But this one needs something more... emotional." He motioned her to follow him and they sat down on the first row of seats in the auditorium. "You see, there are two main female roles. Cosette and Eponine. Now Cosette's part is easy, ja? She meets Marius, falls in love, end of story. Eponine different, however. She is more demanding, you understand? She loves Marius but she knows he doesn't love her. At the same time she believes that they can be together, that he will fall in love with her in the end." Parker nodded as he spoke. He looked at her with a piercing gaze. "If you've ever felt like that, if you've ever loved someone without knowing if they love you in return, then you need to use that here. Do you think you can do that?"

Parker thought back to a time when she had felt exactly that feeling. She cocked her head to one side. "Do you have an empty beer bottle?"

Herr Menkel was taken aback. "A beer bottle?"

Parker nodded. "Please."

Herr Menkel was confused but he left and returned a few minutes later with the item requested. Parker took it and wrapped her hands around it, one around the main body, the other around the bottle's neck. She closed her eyes.

_What you're feeling is called jealousy._

She pictured the moment, remembering every detail. Hardison was sitting at a table in the bar with that girl they had just done a job for. She had been sitting next to Sophie, watching them.

_I'm not jealous._

That had been not entirely a lie. It was jealousy she had been feeling, she knew that now, but there was also something else. Sorrow. Hurt. Despair at the idea that Hardison might not always be with her, that he might go with another woman, that he would never return her feelings.

Parker breathed slowly as she let the feelings run through her, losing herself in them. Her hands twitched involuntarily. There was a crack. She opened her eyes to see the bottle in pieces and faint traces of blood on her hands from where they had been scratched by the glass. The pieces were all over the seat and the floor. She looked up to face Herr Menkel, who was watching her in speechless astonishment.

"I think I got it," she said simply.

...

That afternoon Mr Charles put out a press release stating that the show would go ahead as planned.

Margaret Williams threw the newspaper aside in disgust after reading the article.

"It didn't work. They're still going to do it."

The person she was speaking to on the phone was silent for a moment. "Do you think this will be a problem?" he asked.

Margaret shook her head. "No. Whoever they've got, she won't be any good. Then when the final performance blows up in their faces we'll move in and close the deal." She looked over at the plans for the apartments they were going to build.

"Nothing can stop us now."

* * *

**A/N Not much to say about this one, except to say that you should still go and see Les Miserables if you haven't already. Actually this whole section is really just an excuse to get Parker on stage singing Eponine's part.**

**See you all soon!  
**


	14. The Show Must Go On

**Disclaimer: Leverage is (c) 2009 Leverage Holdings Inc. Also this chapter contains spoilers for the musical Les Miserables ( (c) 2011 Cameron Mackintosh Overseas Limited) so if you haven't seen it proceed with caution.**

**The Show Must Go On**

The days passed quickly. Parker and Hardison had their time taken up with rehearsals for the final performance. Parker hadn't yet informed the others that she would be taking the role of Eponine, although even she wasn't quite sure why. It was inevitable though that Hardison would find out as he was of course in the orchestra. He had been surprised and a little apprehensive at first, then he saw how much she was enjoying herself and he was able to relax.

Parker threw herself into the part. With the help of Herr Menkel she made sure that her performance was the best it could possibly be. In some ways it reminded her of the roles she had to play as part of previous cons, the idea that you had to become a different person with their own emotions and thoughts. In some ways it was what she had been doing her whole life and she found that she would miss it when this job was over.

In the meantime Nate and Sophie were continuing to put pressure onto Jonathan Williams to drive him apart from his sister. They made promising progress at first but it quickly became apparent that Margaret had been the driving force for almost their entire lives, and as such Jonathan was almost incapable of making a decision on his own.

"This isn't going to work, Nate," Sophie grumbled after another meeting with the marks, "His sister's grip is too strong."

Nate nodded. "So we go with plan B. Eliot searches their offices while they're at the theatre."

Sophie looked at him out of the corner of her eye. "I thought that was Hardison's original plan?"

Nate grinned. "His plan, not mine. He still has a lot to learn before he can take on a job on his own."

Sophie just shook her head.

...

The big night finally arrived. Parker and Hardison had been at the theatre all day making their final preparations. Nate and Sophie were at the apartment getting themselves ready. Nate had chosen to wear a light coloured suit, a dark shirt and a light tie while Sophie, after what seemed like hours, had decided on a glittering green dress with an expensive looking diamond necklace. They put their coats on and left the apartment.

"So have you ever seen Les Miserables before?" Sophie asked Nate.

He nodded. "Once. My father took me for my tenth birthday." His face clouded over a bit at the memory of his father, with good reason as Sophie remembered only too well the trouble the senior Ford had caused. Nate brightened again. "How about you?"

Sophie laughed. "I was in it at school. That was when I first decided that I wanted to become an actress. I've seen it a few times since and I've been in it a couple of times. For some reason the audiences weren't that impressed." Nate said nothing and kept his face straight.

"At least you two get to do something interesting!" Eliot's voice came over the earbuds. "Remind me why I'm the one out here in the cold?"

"Because we're all otherwise engaged." Nate grinned to himself. "Have the birds left the nest yet?"

...

Eliot raised his binoculars up to his eyes and looked over to the entrance of Williams & Williams Ltd. He had parked his car across the street, far enough to be out of sight.

"Nothing yet. Wait a minute... Yes, there's a black limo leaving the car park. It's them."

Nate's voice spoke in his ear. "Okay, when the show starts everybody's phones will be turned off. That's when you go in. Whatever happens they won't hear about it until it's over."

Eliot acknowledged and settled into his seat to wait.

...

"What if he doesn't find anything?" Sophie whispered to Nate.

"We'll worry about that when we come to it. Okay we're here." They pulled up outside the theatre and left the car. There was a huge crowd queueing to get in. Obviously the promise of the performance of a lifetime had been a huge draw. Nate and Sophie eventually managed to get inside and they were shown to their seats. Sophie pointed to another part of the audience.

"Look, there's Jonathan and Margaret."

Margaret noticed them and her face darkened slightly. It cleared as she said hello and shook hands with someone else.

Nate whispered to Eliot. "Curtain up in fifteen minutes. You ready?"

"I'm ready," Eliot whispered back, his voice sounding determined.

Mr Charles appeared on the stage and immediately a spotlight shone down onto him. He was holding a microphone.

"Ladies and gentlemen, thank you all so much for coming tonight. We are starting within the next few minutes so please can I ask you to turn off your phones?" There was a long series of beeps and tones and lights from screens as everybody did as requested.

"Okay Eliot, go," Nate instructed as the curtain lifted and the orchestra began to play.

...

Eliot left his car and walked quickly to the building, setting the timer on his watch for three hours as he did so. He was wearing a business suit with his hair tied back. A pair of glasses and a briefcase completed his outfit. He walked briskly through the doors and nodded to the security guards as he passed them. They were watching TV and barely acknowledged him.

Eliot made his way to the lifts at the back of the lobby and went up to the seventh floor. Nate's directions were, as usual, spot on and he quickly found himself at the door to the Williams's office. He quickly picked the lock using techniques he had learned from Parker and the door swung open.

"I'm in," he whispered to Nate. Without waiting for a reply he set down his briefcase on the nearest desk and got to work, pulling out the first drawer to sift through its contents.

...

Even though Nate was supposed to be working he found himself enjoying the show. He didn't remember much about the story so for him it was as if he was seeing it for the first time. He had to admit he had been impressed so far by the performances of the lead actors. Even without the microphones they wore he could tell that their voices were powerful enough to fill the theatre.

He looked over at Sophie and wasn't surprised to find her entranced. Her lips moved silently and he realised she was mouthing the words as they were spoken and sung. She must have memorised the entire musical at some point.

Even though the orchestra had been placed some distance away Nate could clearly make Hardison out on the front row of the violins. He was playing for all he was worth. Not for the first time Nate realised that if Hardison applied himself he could have any career he wanted.

Nate still hadn't seen Parker yet which was hardly surprising as stage hands were supposed to be out of sight behind the scenes. Confident that everything was going according to plan he relaxed and let himself have a good time.

The first half progressed quickly and soon the scene changed to the Paris slums. Nate decided to check in with Eliot.

"Eliot, anything so far?"

"Nothing yet," Eliot replied, "I've only managed to get through a quarter of this stuff and there's a lot of it."

"Well keep looking. We've still got about two and a half hours to..." Nate's voice trailed off as he looked at the stage in surprise.

"Nate, what is it? What's wrong?" Eliot asked.

"It's Parker!" Sophie replied, "She's on stage!"

"I'd heard that one of the actresses had been injured and they found a replacement," Nate whispered to Sophie and Eliot, "I had no idea it was Parker."

Eliot's sigh was loud over the comms. "I'll get back to this then."

Nate and Sophie watched in amazement as Parker played and sang the role of Eponine. They knew she was getting better at acting roles for cons but they had never imagined she could do anything like this. The first half finally closed with the rousing chorus of "One Day More" from the whole cast. As the curtain came down the audience rose to their feet as one, clapping and cheering for all they were worth.

...

"So how did you feel out there?" Herr Menkel asked Parker.

"It felt... different." Parker said after some thought.

Herr Menkel nodded. "Ja, the first time you go on stage is something that you can never experience before or again. You did well mein liebchen. But the real work starts now."

Parker nodded. Her big solo pieces were coming up soon and she didn't want to let anyone down.

Her nervousness must have shown in her eyes. Herr Menkel smiled at her. "You'll be fine. The nerves, they disappear once you are out there and singing."

...

Nate was sitting at the bar nursing a brandy during the intermission. He contacted Eliot again. "We're halfway through. Anything yet."

"No, nothing. Sorry Nate."

"Well there's still another hour and twenty minutes to go. We're not finished yet." Nate finished his drink and returned to his seat. The curtain rose again signalling the start of the second act. Nate settled back to watch.

...

Parker grew more and more nervous as the act progressed, knowing that soon it would be time for her solo. She tried to focus her mind on other things – locks, safes, pretzels – but it was no good. All she could think about was the moment when she would be alone on stage in front of hundreds of people.

She knew the scene inside out. Eponine was to deliver a message to Cosette's adoptive father, in which the writer of the letter proclaimed his undying love for her. After this Eponine would sing about the sorrow she felt that she was not the one loved. In total the scene lasted aproximately seven or eight minutes from start to finish. Not very long at all.

It was time. Parker went out on the stage wearing a large light coloured overcoat – the character had disguised herself as a boy – and the scene started. She delivered the letter, a few lines were traded, then the other actor left the stage and now she was on her own.

Parker reached deep inside herself for that emotion she had felt before. She pictured the moment in her mind, fixing it firmly in place.

_What you're feeling is called jealousy._

_I'm not jealous._

Letting the feeling run through her she opened her mouth and started to sing.

...

Nate and Sophie had been suprised when they saw Parker first take the stage in act one. Now, however, they were completely stunned into silence. Nate even felt his eyes start to water as he listened to the girl on the stage - the girl who had once been so closed in upon herself.

Sophie leaned over to him. Nate looked at her and wasn't surprised to see a tear running down her cheek. "She's singing about Hardison," she whispered.

"What... what do you mean?" Nate managed to whisper back.

"Singing like that isn't something that can be taught or learned. It has to come from something you've experienced." Sophie nodded at the stage. "What we're hearing is the feelings she's had for Hardison almost since the beginning."

When Parker finished there was a moment of silence, then the audience applauded and cheered enthusiastically. She seemed bewildered at the reaction at first, then she smiled and nodded as she retreated from the stage ready for the next scene.

...

Soon enough it was time for Parker to return, only this time it was for her death scene. She knew where to find the emotional level for this though, having experienced something similar herself a few days previously.

_Hardison it's okay. I knew something like this might happen some day. It's a risk we all took._

The memory still scared her – trapped alone in that building with a timer counting down – but it was exactly what she needed for this song.

This time there was silence from the audience, broken by a few sniffles as noses were blown and eyes were wiped. Parker smiled to herself as her fellow actor carried her from the stage.

...

The remainder of the show passed quickly and soon it was over. The cast all gathered on the stage for their curtain call and encore. Parker got one of the biggest rounds of applause and cheering when she stood forward to take her bow. As they launched into their encore Nate contacted Eliot.

"Eliot, we're nearly done here. How are you doing."

Eliot's voice came back. He sounded agitated. "Nate, there's nothing here! No paper trails, no statements, nothing!"

Sophie leaned over. "Nate, we're out of time. Once everyone leaves we'll have lost our chance."

Nate nodded. "We need to stall them somehow." He spoke to Eliot. "Get out of there, Eliot. There's nothing more you can do there."

Sophie shook her head. "How can we stall them Nate?"

There was no answer. Nate's seat was empty.

...

Mr Charles returned to the stage amidst the applause. Again the spotlight lit him up.

"Thank you everyone. Thank you so much for making this final night so special."

"Um, excuse me!" A voice called from the side of the stage. Sophie gasped as Nate walked on to the stage and took the microphone from Mr Charles.

"Excuse me, do you mind?" he asked the owner. Not waiting for an answer he turned to the audience.

"Well I'm sure you'll all join me in congratulating this fine cast on an excellent performance!" Again another round of applause. Sophie looked over to where Jonathan and Margaret Williams were sitting. They looked shocked and angry. She turned back to the stage as Nate continued speaking.

"My name is Albert Hendrikson of Hendrikson and Company LLP. I've been sitting here tonight, just like all of you, watching and listening to this magnificent final performance." His command of the audience was such that nothing could be heard, as if everyone were holding their breath. "And as I sat there, I decided that this fine theatre will not go quietly into the night. I am pleased to announce that tomorrow afternoon I will be meeting with Mr Charles here, and I will be buying this theatre so that it can continue to produce such magnificent spectacles! This theatre will not close today, or tomorrow, or ever! This theatre will go on!"

For a moment there was utter silence, then Parker started to clap. The people next to her started clapping as well, and soon the entire theatre – actors and audience alike – were clapping and cheering. Nate grinned broadly and bowed deeply. He walked to Mr Charles, who was still unsure what was happening, and held out his hand. Mr Charles took it and shook it, weakly at first, then more and more vigourous as he realised what he had just been given. The spotlight lit up the two of them as the audience's applause became deafening.

Sophie looked over at Margaret Williams again. The anger and fury on her face told Sophie that Nate's ploy had worked exactly as planned.'

Now things were going to start happening.

* * *

**A/N Whew that was a fun one to write! It's hard to accurately write about someone singing, so all I can say is get hold of the soundtrack to Les Miserables (or better yet go and see it), and listen to the songs "On My Own" and "A Little Fall Of Rain" and try and imagine Parker singing them.**

**See you all soon!  
**


	15. Paper Trail

**Disclaimer: Leverage is (c) 2009 Leverage Holdings Inc.**

**Paper Trail**

An hour later Nate and Sophie were sitting in Mr Charles's office. Mr Charles was still bewildered as to the turn events had taken.

"But Mr Hendrikson," he was saying, "I still don't quite understand. How can you make an offer to buy this place? The sale to the Williams people was agreed weeks ago."

Nate raised his glass before taking a sip. "Well I heard about the situation here and I wanted to see for myself. The money you were being paid didn't seem enough. And after tonight I decided I couldn't let this place disappear without a fight."

Mr Charles nodded. "Well if you can help I'll be very grateful of course." He raised his glass and clinked it against Nate's.

Sophie spoke up. "By the way Mr Charles, I stongly suggest you have some sort of security or protection for the theatre tonight. Just as a precaution you understand."

Mr Charles shook his head. "I don't have any security for this place. Why? Do you think something might happen?"

"It's just a precaution Mr Charles. It's nothing to worry about." Nate stood up. "If you'll excuse me I need to make a phone call."

He left Sophie chatting to Mr Charles and pulled his phone out. "Is that the state police department? I'd like to speak to Captain Bonanno please. Captain? It's Nathan Ford. I was wondering if I could ask a favour? No no it's nothing illegal."

...

"So what do you do?" Mr Charles asked Sophie.

"I'm Mr Hendrikson's PA." Sophie smiled at him. Mr Charles blushed slightly.

Mr Charles cleared his throat before speaking. "And does Mr Hendrikson often swoop in to bail out theatres in financial difficulties?"

"If he likes their performance of Les Miserables." Sophie nodded then smiled. "Mr Hendrikson is the sort of man who doesn't like to see people get trampled over by others. He has a tendency to support the... what's the word... the underdog, so to speak."

Mr Charles opened his mouth to reply but at that moment the door opened and Nate came back in. "Sorry about that," Nate said.

"No, no we were just finishing." Sophie rose from her seat and shook Mr Charles's hand.

"Indeed, yes." Mr Charles turned to shake Nate's hand. "Well thank you. If you can help I would appreciate it."

"Of course." Nate nodded. "Tomorrow afternoon then? Say half past two?"

Mr Charles agreed and Nate and Sophie left to return to the apartment.

...

That night they were all gathered around the main table, Hardison's laptop open in the middle. It was hooked up to the main screens and was currently displaying video feeds from the Williams's office.

_"I'm in," he whispered to Nate. Without waiting for a reply he set down his briefcase on the nearest desk and got to work, pulling out the first drawer to sift through its contents._

_As Eliot searched he also pulled out the tiny cameras and transmitters from the briefcase and planted them at various locations throughout the office. Soon the entire office was covered by video and audio surveillance and the telephones were fitted with transmitters._

_They would know everything that was going on._

On another section of the screen was an audio display from the telephones. A lively conversation was taking place.

"What do you mean someone else wants to buy the theatre?" A voice on the other end of the phone said. It sounded familiar but for the moment no one recognised it.

"Just that!" Margaret's voice came on. She sounded on the verge of hysteria. "This guy Hendrikson says he's going to buy it!"

"Okay, okay calm down." The first voice came back. "I'll contact our friends. He won't buy the theatre if it's been trashed."

"Well your friends didn't do much to stop the performance last time did they? Charles found a replacement for that girl!"

Hardison looked at Nate. So it hadn't been an accident that had injured that actress.

"Just you let me worry about that. What else is the matter?"

"Our office was broken into! When we got back there were papers everywhere!" The pitch of Margaret's voice rose higher.

They all looked at Eliot, who shrugged his shoulders. "His idea," he said nodding at Nate.

"Did they take anything?" the first voice asked.

"No. They were searching for something though. Do you think it was..." Margaret's voice trailed off.

"Of course it was! I take it it's safe?"

"Yes. It's in the deposit box at Boston Bank. I moved it there after that business at First Boston Independent. It's perfectly safe."

"Good. Don't worry about Hendrikson. I'll make sure he has nothing to buy." The line went dead.

The team all looked at each other. Hardison spoke first.

"Nate, man, I'm sorry. I thought I was ready to run a job."

Nate shook his head. "You didn't do too badly, you just needed to cover all the contingencies. For now though I think we need to pay a visit to our old friend Mr Hammond."

"Do we have to?" Parker whined, "He annoys me with his constant blinking. And he tried asking me out to dinner!"

"You don't complain when I ask you to dinner," Hardison said.

"Yes but you're special." She smiled at him and he blushed.

Nate cleared his throat. "Anyway, Parker, you and me will go tomorrow morning and see what's inside that box."

...

The next morning Nate received a phone call from the police department.

"Ford? It's Captain Bonanno. You were right. We picked up five people trying to break into the theatre. They're down at the station now. They're saying nothing but they will soon. I'll let you know when that happens."

"Thanks Captain. I owe you one."

"Just stay out of trouble, that's all I ask."

Nate smiled as he put his phone away. He and Parker left the apartment and made their way to the State Street Branch of the Boston Bank.

The bank was busy again. Shortly after entering Parker saw Mr Hammond, who was trying to help a rather irate customer. When he saw Parker he smiled with relief and managed to leave the customer to her own devices.

"Miss Tennant! Welcome back! What can I do for you today?" Parker had been right, Nate thought to himself, the man was constantly blinking.

"Actually it's something of a private matter." Parker slipped back into the role with ease. "Can we go into your office?"

"Er, of course! This way." Mr Hammond led the way through the crowd of people and into the back. He pushed open a door bearing his name and waved them in. His office was a rather grand affair, with oak panels and an oak desk and a pair of red leather armchairs. He pulled a chair from his desk and motioned Nate and Parker to sit down in the armchairs.

"So what can I do for the United States government today?" he asked.

Nate was the one to answer. "Actually we've come about the gold theft from the other day."

Mr Hammond nodded. "Yes, of course. Terrible business. Highly embarrassing too. That it should happen here, of all places!"

"Indeed." Nate cut him off. "Well we think we may have a lead. We've had an anonymous tipoff that one of your customers may have been involved."

"One of my customers? Impossible!" Mr Hammond's blinking increased as he refuted the allegation.

Nate nodded. "Indeed. We hope it is just a false alarm but we do have to investigate every possibility."

"Can you at least tell me the name of the customer?" Mr Hammond asked.

Parker pulled a notebook out of her bag. "It's a Miss M Williams. Do you know her?"

Mr Hammond shook his head. "Not really. She came here to open a deposit box shortly after the explosion at First Boston Independent... " his voice trailed off. "You don't think she had anything to do with it?"

"Like I said." Nate leaned back into the chair. "We have to investigate every possibility."

"Can you let us see the box?" Parker leaned forward as she spoke.

Mr Hammond nodded. "Of course, if it'll help."

"Thank you." Parker smiled at him and his eyes blinked even faster.

...

Mr Hammond obtained the box number and opened the vault. He led Parker and Nate down the stairs and into a room whose walls were lined with deposit boxes.

"It's that one. Number 528." He pointed to the box and produced a key.

"Thank you. We'd appreciate it if you could give us some privacy?" Nate said. Mr Hammond nodded and left them, mentioning that he would be waiting just outside.

Parker opened the box and retrieved the contents. There was one large brown envelope. She handed it to Nate. Nate carefully undid the envelope open and pulled out the paper inside. He smiled.

"We've got them."

He handed the paper to Parker and she read it. It was a contract between Williams and Williams Ltd and a company called Apollo Homes. It detailed the plans for the development of the land the theatre stood on and also the amount of money the parties stood to gain from the scheme. Parker whistled.

"This can't be right. According to this the Williams are going to make five hundred million dollars! These flats can't be worth that much!"

"Of course not." Nate took the paper back. "Buying up a piece of land for next to nothing and selling it for that much. It's a payment."

"Payment?" Parker looked confused so Nate explained.

"The Williams are offered money for a job, presumably something less-than-legal, but they can't just accept the money because questions would be asked. So instead they spend a small amount to buy some land, then sell that land for the amount they were offered. That way it looks more legitimate. Questions will be asked but they'll be a lot longer coming. In the meantime the money gets funnelled into various accounts where it can be neatly hidden. I came across that sort of thing a lot when I was with IYS."

"So we can use this to save the theatre?" Parker asked.

Nate nodded again. "Yes. With this we can bring Margaret and Jonathan Williams down. Come on, we have a meeting to arrange."

They left the vault, having replaced the empty envelope into the deposit box. At the top of the stairs Mr Hammond met them again.

"Did you find anything?" he asked excitedly.

Nate shook his head. "It was a false alarm. I'm sorry to have troubled you Mr Hammond."

Mr Hammond sighed with relief. "No problem," he said, "Anything for our great country."

Parker and Nate returned to the apartment with a spring in their step.

It was time for the final act.

* * *

**A/N This was originally going to be the last chapter of this section but it went on and on so I decided to make it a chapter in itself.**

**Anyway see you all in a couple of days  
**


	16. Curtain Call

**Disclaimer: Leverage is (c) 2009 Leverage Holdings Inc.**

**Curtain Call**

Back at the apartment they all sat around the desk, the contract papers sitting in the middle of the desk like a trophy. There were still a couple of hours until Nate was due to meet with Mr Charles to decide the future of the Odeon Playhouse.

"So we have the contract," Nate counted off on his fingers, "We have the phone calls between Margaret Williams and someone else, and we have five thugs at the police station. Do we have enough?"

"Nowhere near enough to take to the police." Hardison shook his head as he spoke. "Looks like you're going to have to scare them into backing down."

"What about that other company, Apollo Homes?" Sophie asked.

Hardison shook his head again. "It's a dummy company. The trail looks like a long one and we don't have time right now to trace it."

Nate nodded. "Okay, for now we put the frighteners on the Williams pair. Hardison, you keep tracking down the people behind Apollo Homes. It may lead us to whoever hired those thugs to break into the theatre."

"Don't forget what they did to that girl!" Parker interjected. Nate nodded in agreement.

"So what happens now?" Eliot asked. He was still sore about being the only one to miss out on the theatre the previous evening.

"Now, I explain to Margaret and Jonathan Williams why it's a very good idea for them to withdraw from the sale of the theatre." With that, Nate stood up and left the room.

...

Margaret and Jonathan Williams were hard at work in the office they shared. They felt relaxed now that the threat to their plans was in the process of being removed. Margaret was confident that they would never see Mr Hendrikson again.

It therefore came as a shock to her when the door to their office burst open.

Nate savoured the brief look of disbelief on their faces as he strode boldly into their office. Margaret was the first to recover after a second.

"How did you get in here?"

"Through the front door." Nate grinned. "Your receptionists downstairs were very helpful."

"I'm so pleased you think very highly of them." Margaret smirked as she reached for the phone on her desk. "Good staff is so hard to find. I hope you'll be as appreciative of our security as they throw you out."

"Uh, uh-uh," Nate waggled his finger at her, "I don't think you'll want to make that call. Not yet anyway." He threw the envelope he was carrying onto her desk. She made no move to pick it up although her eyes narrowed as she looked at it.

"And what is this supposed to be?"

"This?" Nate sat down in front of her. "This is the contract between yourselves and Apollo Homes, a company which, I might add, doesn't actually exist." He had the satisfaction of seeing her eyes widen. Jonathan gave an audible gasp. Nate continued to speak. "Five hundred million is rather a lot for a small scrap of land. What was it? Money laundering?"

"Who do you think you are?" Margaret asked angrily. She ripped open the envelope to find that it did indeed contain the contract she had signed. She looked up at Nate with fire in her eyes. "Who are you? Police? FBI? IRS?"

Nate just smiled at her. It was better for her imagination to make up facts rather than for him to give them to her.

"I just have some friends in very high places who may be interested to know what you've been up to here." He sat back and gazed at her. She swallowed nervously but didn't say anything.

It was Jonathan who spoke up.

"I told you this was a bad idea!"

"Shut up you idiot!" Margaret hissed at him but Jonathan didn't shut up.

"We were offered five hundred million dollars to move some assets into our account. After that all we had to do was transfer it somewhere else. It was supposed to be easy money!"

Nate nodded. "Except that just having five hundred million suddenly turning up in your accounts would make people ask questions. So you went for the land sale scam. Who was it for?"

"We don't know." Margaret said, defeated. Nate looked at her and she shook her head. "No, honestly we don't. We never met the person. The whole thing was handled through middlemen. Like that Apollo Homes setup."

"I'm sure the police will be interested to hear that. They may even believe you." Nate stood as if to go.

"No! No you can't!" Margaret jumped up from her desk and grabbed his arm. "It'll ruin us!"

"Not so nice when someone else treads on you is it?" Nate asked. He sighed. "Okay. I'll tell you what I'm going to do. That contract is the only proof I have of what you've been up to. I'm going to leave it here and we'll say no more about it. But I assure you if you put one foot out of line again I will go to the authorities with what I know. You'll never build another home again."

"And what do you want in return?" Margaret asked.

"Withdraw from the sale of the Odeaon Playhouse."

"Why are you so interested in that place?" Margaret asked again.

"Let's just say some people I know have a vested interest." Nate nodded to both of them and left. Jonathan and Margaret looked at each other and breathed a huge sigh of relief.

...

"Did you get all that?" Nate asked Hardison over comms.

"Sure did. Nate, are you sure about this? You're just going to let them go?"

"Of course not." Nate reached his car and got in. "That was a copy I left with them. As soon as I'm done at the theatre I'm going straight to Bonanno." He started the car and headed to the Odeon Playhouse.

It was exactly twenty five minutes past two when he pulled into the car park at the theatre. Nate stepped out of the car and walked to the entrance. Mr Charles was waiting for him.

"Mr Charles," Nate said, offering his hand.

"Mr Hendrikson," Mr Charles replied, shaking Nate's hand. "Well then, shall we?" He led the way through the theatre to his office. He motioned for Nate to sit down while he poured them both a drink.

Nate came straight to the point. "Mr Charles, I think you should know first of all that Williams and Williams have withdrawn their offer to buy this theatre and the land it stands on."

Mr Charles nodded with relief. "So they won't be knocking it down to build their flats then. That's good news. You have my thanks. We still have a problem with our finances though. I'm afraid we may not be able to stay open for much longer anyway."

Nate smiled. "Well that brings me onto my second point. I am prepared to offer you the sum of three million dollars to buy this place."

Mr Charles choked on his drink. "Three million?" he sputtered, "That's twice what this place is worth!"

Nate raised his glass. "It's worth a lot more, believe me. So what do you say? I have the cheque right here." Matching deed to word he reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a cheque.

"I don't think I can possibly refuse." Mr Charles stood and went to his desk, returning with the deeds to the theatre. He put the deeds onto the table in front of them and Nate put the cheque alongside it.

"I've owned this place for twenty years," Mr Charles said in a faraway voice. He looked Nate in the eye. "If you don't mind me asking, what will you do with it?"

"Keep it open and running." Nate relaxed back into his chair. "I have no intention of changing the way things are here and I certainly don't want to knock it down." He reached down to the table and picked up the deeds. "In fact," he said slowly, "I don't see the need to change anything at all."

Mr Charles looked up from the table. "What do you mean?"

Nate grinned broadly. "I mean you should continue to run this place." He held out the deeds to Mr Charles, who was again totally thrown by what was happening.

"But the three million..." he sputtered.

"Think of it as a charitable donation." Nate said. Mr Charles smiled, which grew into a grin, and then he was laughing with relief. He gladly took the deeds back from Nate, then stopped.

"But in that case, why go through all of this?" he asked.

Nate thought a moment before replying, "I made a promise to a friend." He finished his drink and stood up. "Well, I need to go. Best of luck to you Mr Charles."

"And to you, sir. And to you." Mr Charles shook his hand warmly and Nate took his leave.

...

Nate made one more stop, to drop off the original contract at the police station, marked for the attention of Captain Bonanno, then he went back to the apartment.

The moment he stepped through the door he was knocked back as Parker flung herself into his arms. She just murmured "Thank you" over and over again as Nate gently tried to pull her off, eventually succeeding.

Hardison came over next and shook Nate's hand with both of his. "Thanks man, this means so much to her." Nate just smiled at him.

"Okay, after all that I need a drink. Who's coming?" Nate led the team down to the bar where they spent the rest of the evening.

...

Later that night Parker and Hardison were back at Hardison's apartment. Parker had gone for a shower and Hardison was sitting in front of his laptop. A few minutes of searching had yielded what he was looking for. Somebody had, quite illegally, taken a video camera into the theatre and had filmed the entire performance. Hardison watched the recording. Even though it wasn't the best quality it was still perfectly watchable. Hardison sat back in his chair. On the night itself he hadn't been able to see very much as he had been in the orchestra towards the back, so now he was taking the opportunity to catch up on what he had missed.

He sat forward when Parker came onto the stage to sing and turned up the volume. Parker came out of the bathroom at that point drying her hair with the towel she was wearing. She came over to him and he caught the scent of the jasmine shampoo she loved.

"What are you watching?" she asked.

"Someone recorded the show. I've just got to the bit where you sing your solo." She cut him off by leaning over and closing down the video. "Hey!" Hardison protested.

Parker squatted down next to him and leaned her head onto his shoulder. He didn't say anything about the fact that she was making his t-shirt wet. There was a long silence before she spoke.

"I don't want to be Eponine anymore."

She lifted her head and looked up at Hardison. "Eponine was sad and lonely. I don't want to be her anymore. I want to be Cosette." Hardison opened his mouth to say something but then he closed it again as she started singing softly. He knew the song. It was "A Heart Full Of Love" from the musical. He joined in with her, just as softly, and when the song had finished he leaned down and gently kissed her. He felt her smiling against his lips. When he raised his head he saw that her eyes were closed and she was breathing steadily.

She had fallen asleep on his shoulder.

Carefully, so as not to wake her, he put his arm round her and picked her up and carried her to bed. He laid her down and made to leave the room but found that she had grabbed his hand tightly and was not letting go. She smiled in her sleep and Hardison, shaking his head, laid down next to her, gazing at her face as sleep slowly overtook him too.

* * *

**A/N And so ends this section of the story. I just had a thought. Leverage season 4 is due in a few months so I guess this story would have to go under AU.**


	17. Vacant Possession

**Disclaimer: Leverage is (c) 2009 Leverage Holdings Inc.**

**Vacant Possession**

The house was usually quiet at this time of day and Laverne Hardison used the time to do a bit of cleaning and other housework. After making sure that the oven was on – the children would be home from school soon and they were usually ravenous – Laverne went upstairs. The first stop was Bobby's bedroom. She sighed as she saw the mess he had left it in – clothes everywhere, bed unmade. No matter how often she scolded the boy he refused to tidy up after himself. She loved him as she loved all the children who came under her care, but once in a while they could be very trying.

Scooping up the clothes Laverne made her way to the next room along. This was Franny's room, and she had begged Laverne to let her have pink wallpaper with cats and mice and all kinds of fluffy creatures. Laverne had agreed readily and so when she walked into the room she was met with millions of the animals, all depicted in various poses which showed them playing together happily. This room was a lot tidier. There was only a discarded t-shirt and pair of jeans poking out of one corner. Laverne added them to her pile.

The final room was Sandra's. Laverne rarely went in there, respecting the teenager's need for privacy, but occasionally she checked to make sure it was tidy, or at least as tidy as could be expected. She opened the door and peeked round.

The room was spotless. Laverne smiled to herself. This had been Alec's room before he moved on and, as was her tradition, Sandra had inherited it as the oldest child in the family. Sandra would be finishing college in a few months and then she would possibly be looking to move out as well. The thought sobered Laverne. It had seemed like only yesterday when Sandra had first arrived into her life and family. It had in fact been ten years. Laverne shook her head. Where had the time gone?

She was interrupted by the sound of the telephone ringing. Laverne sighed. "Alright I'm coming." She made her way downstairs and lifted up the receiver.

"Hello?" She listened for a few seconds. "I told you before I have no intention of selling this house. My husband and I have lived here for the past thirty years, and there is nothing you can say to make me change my mind. No, I don't care how much money you offer. I am not selling and that is final!"

Laverne slammed the receiver back down with more force than necessary. Two weeks! For the past two weeks those people had been calling her, trying to get her to sell her house so they could demolish it and build new apartments on the land. Every time she said no and every time they called back. They would probably call again tomorrow. Laverne didn't care. She would stand firm for however long it took to get the message across to them.

Laverne went into the kitchen and fussed over the oven. Sandra would be home in another fifteen minutes, then she would go and pick up Bobby and Franny while Laverne got their dinner ready. She smiled. This was always her favourite time of the day.

The doorbell rang. _That's funny_, Laverne thought, _Sandra must have left early today_.

She opened the door but it was not Sandra standing there. Instead she was faced with a large burly man, bald and with a moustache and goatee beard. Behind him she could see another two similarly built men.

The man in front of her cracked his knuckles.

"You should have agreed to sell."

...

The moment Sandra's watch turned to three o'clock, she arrived home. She tried to open the door with her key but was surprised when it just swung open.

"Nana?" she called out as she entered. There was no answer. Maybe she was upstairs, having a nap? It wouldn't be the first time but then why leave the front door open?

"Nana?" she tried again. The kitchen door was closed. Maybe she was in there and had just forgotten to close the front door.

Sandra opened the door and screamed at the sight before her.

"Nana!"

Laverne was lying on the floor. A huge bruise covered the left side of her face and a cut above her left eye oozed blood. Her eyes were closed. For a moment Sandra feared the worst.

"Nana? Nana! Are you okay?" Sandra rushed to her and knelt down. Close up she could see that Laverne was still breathing, albeit with some effort. She appeared to have been knocked unconscious. Sandra tried to gently turn her over but a small groan stopped her. Sandra stood up and frantically reached for her phone. With shaking fingers she dialled 911.

"Hello? Police? It's my mother! She's unconscious!" Her voice was on the edge of hysteria. "It looks like she was beaten. Yes. Of course. Here's the address. And please send an ambulance too!"

She hung up and knelt down again next to Laverne, gently squeezing her hand.

"Hold on, Nana, hold on."

...

"How is she?" Sandra asked the doctor as they stood by Laverne's bed. Laverne had been hooked up to an IV drip and now had bandages across her face and body.

"She'll live but there were a few bones and ribs broken. It must have been a vicious attack," the doctor said, "She'll probably come round in a few more hours but she'll be in a bit of pain for the next few weeks."

Sandra nodded, pleased that Laverned would be okay. The doctor cleared his throat.

"Um, is there anyone you'd like us to contact? Any family?"

Sandra shook her head. Bobby and Franny had been picked up from school by the police and were in the waiting area. Franny had been crying and Bobby had just stayed silent. They were being looked after by a female officer. There was still Alec, but...

"I have a brother in Boston but I don't want him to know. He'd worry and rush straight back here and I don't want him seeing Nana like this."

The doctor nodded and left the room. Sandra sat on the chair next to the bed and watched Laverne as her chest rose and fell in time with the ventilator. She felt tears start to run down her cheeks.

"Excuse me?" a voice said from the door.

Sandra looked up and saw a short, round, bald man with a moustache standing in the doorway. He was wearing a suit and a jacket with 'FBI' emblazoned across it. She hastily wiped her face with the back of her hand.

"Yes?" she said.

The man came into the room. "My name is Agent Taggert, or Jim if you prefer." He held out his hand to Sandra but she didn't shake it. After an uncomfortable moment Taggert lowered his hand again. "Er... can we talk somewhere? There are some things I need to ask you."

Sandra nodded and Taggert led the way to an office on the same floor. He asked the nurse inside if she would mind if they used it for a few minutes and the nurse agreed and left them in private. Taggert closed the door.

"Miss Hardison, I know this is a difficult time, but I do have to ask. Has anything unusual happened in the past few days? Was Mrs Hardison feeling agitated or worried or anything like that?"

Sandra shook her head. "No, of course not! Although..." her voice trailed off. Taggert listened expectantly and she continued. "There was one time, it was last week I think. Yes it was. See I'd come home from college early and I was helping Nana with her housework." She stopped to gather her thoughts. Taggert nodded encouragingly.

Sandra spoke again, slower this time. "I was upstairs, cleaning Bobby's room when I heard the phone ring. Nana answered it. I couldn't hear much but she started shouting at the person on the other end. It sounded like 'I won't sell my house'. I went down to her after she put the phone down and asked her what the matter was. She didn't say, she just got on with her work."

Taggert nodded. "Thank you. That's very helpful. Actually, if you don't mind me asking, why do you call her Nana?"

Sandra smiled and a fresh tear rolled down her cheek. "I don't know really. I picked it up from my brother. Well he's not really my brother but we lived together with her for a while. I arrived just as he was getting ready to leave. He called her Nana and I just started doing the same. I never thought to ask why."

"What's his name?" Taggert asked.

"Alec. He lives in Boston."

"Do you want me to contact him for you?" Taggert asked.

Sandra shook her head. "No. Thank you but no. It would kill him to hear about what happened to Nana. I don't want him to see her in that state."

Taggert said nothing. He just nodded. Sandra stood up from her chair.

"Is that everything sir?" she asked

Taggert smiled. "Yes that's all. You keep yourself safe okay? We'll get whoever did this to her."

Sandra thanked him and left the room to return to Nana's bedside.

...

Later that evening Taggert was at his desk in the FBI office. In front of him was a map. At various places were tiny flags. He sighed and placed a new one at the scene of the latest incident. This had been going on for a month now. Elderly people, vulnerable people, single parents, all of them pressured to sell their homes and when they refused they were beaten in their own houses to make them cooperate. And there was never any evidence to link the attacks. That was the most frustrating part of it. The same name kept on coming up as well.

Apollo Homes.

Taggert had run a background check on Apollo Homes and it seemed to be a perfectly legitimate property development company. All accounts clean and above board, all i's dotted and all t's crossed. And yet he knew they were behind these attacks. He just couldn't find the right connection.

Taggert sighed and began writing up his report. When he had finished and submitted it the phone on his desk rang, startling him. It was the Division Chief.

"Hello sir?" he said into the mouthpiece.

"Taggert? I've just received orders that you are to drop this investigation immediately."

Taggert blinked in incomprehension. "I'm sorry sir, could you repeat that?"

"You heard me! You are to stop investigating these incidents. I am assured from the highest authority that they are isolated events carried out by local criminals. They are nothing, I repeat nothing, to do with Apollo Homes or any sort of conspiracy for buying up homes."

Taggert had been stunned into silence.

"You still there Taggert?"

"Uh, yes sir!" he mumbled.

"I want your word that you will not proceed in this matter anymore. Do you understand me?"

"Yes... yes sir." Taggert's mind was spinning.

"Good. I will have a new assignment for you tomorrow morning." The line went dead.

Taggert put the phone down, still in shock at what he had heard. Drop the investigation? How could he do that? But it was an order from the Division Chief and he had to obey.

The image of Sandra Hardison's face appeared in his mind, tears running down her cheeks as she sat next to Mrs Hardison's bed. He cast his eyes over his desk, looking for any indication as to what to do.

His eyes fell on a piece of paper sticking out from beneath his mouse mat. He pulled it out and unfolded it. On it was a telephone number.

_You need any help, any time, that number will reach me._

Taggert stood up from his desk, the piece of paper in his hand, and left the office and the building. On his way home he dialled the number.

...

The crew were at McRory's, celebrating not only their recent success but also Parker's star turn on the stage.

"So why did you give the theatre back, Nate?" Sophie asked, "I could have used that for my own performances!"

Everyone else tried not to laugh. Nate snorted into his glass. "Well, Sophie, uh, I don't think the Odeon Playhouse is quite ready for your unique, uh, talents." He suddenly became very interested in his drink as Sophie glowered at him. "Besides," he continued, "I'm not really what you could call a patron of the arts anyway."

They were interrupted by Hardison's phone ringing. He stood up and excused himself. Outside the bar he answered the call.

"Hello?"

"Agent Thomas?" a familiar voice on the other end said.

"Agent Taggert?" Hardison asked, although it couldn't be anyone else.

There was silence for a brief moment then Taggert spoke again. "I, uh, I need your help."

* * *

**A/N So yeah, I guess you all hate me now eh? No worries. And I thought I should bring Taggert back into it with Hardison's phone number which he gave way back in chapter 9 (chapter 9! where does the time go?)**

**See you all soon!  
**


	18. Hardison Runs It

**Disclaimer: Leverage is (c) 2009 Leverage Holdings Inc.**

**Hardison Runs It**

"Hardison's been gone a while," Sophie said. It had indeed been a long time since Hardison had stepped outside for that call.

Parker got up. "I'll go and find him." She left the bar, not seeing Sophie's smile or Eliot's smirk.

Parker went up the stairs leading to the street. There was no sign of Hardison anywhere. Maybe he was in the apartment? She entered the main building and climbed the stairs.

The door to the apartment was closed but not locked. Parker opened the door quietly and stepped inside.

"Alec?" she called out softly.

She saw him sitting at the desk, his laptop closed in front of him. He didn't respond to her. Parker moved next to him and gently put her arm around his shoulder.

"Hey, you okay?" she asked him.

Hardison didn't look up. "They hurt her." He spoke so softly that for a moment Parker thought she had imagined it.

"Who?" she asked just as softly.

"Nana." Hardison looked up at her and met her eyes. Parker couldn't help but gasp. Hardison's eyes were cast down but she could see that they were red and puffy like he had been crying. There was something else as well.

Rage.

"They went to her house. They attacked her. Beat her. She's in hospital." Hardison's voice cracked as he broke down into tears. Parker held onto him tightly, trying to get her mind around what he had said. Nana? Who would want to attack Nana? And why?

"We'll get them Alec. I promise. We'll get them."

"Get who?" said a voice behind them. Parker turned her head to see Nate, Sophie and Eliot standing just inside the door. She hadn't heard them enter.

"Someone put Hardison's Nana into hospital." Parker said simply. Nate came up and motioned her to move aside. She did so and Nate sat down next to Hardison, who by now had his head in his hands.

"She's just a harmless old lady Nate!" Hardison said, shaking his head, "Who would want to do this to her?"

Nate put a hand on his shoulder. "So what do you want to do about it?"

Hardison lifted up his head and looked at Nate. Nate just nodded. Hardison swallowed and then he too nodded. He opened up his laptop and started to type furiously. Nate stood up and motioned for the others to leave and give Hardison some time on his own.

...

"It was Agent Taggert who called me." Hardison was standing in front of the screens. His eyes were still red but they held a look of determination. He was going to see the people behind this pay.

Hardison carried on speaking. "He was at the hospital where Nana had been taken. Sandra told him..."

"Wait a minute, who's Sandra?" Eliot interrupted.

"She's Hardison's sister," Parker replied, "Well not really sister, but they have lived together in the same house. As children, I mean. Maybe not quite children in Hardison's case but..."

"Sandra is another kid Nana's raising." Hardison stopped Parker mid-sentence. "Anyway she told Agent Taggert Nana had been getting phone calls from some property development company trying to get her to sell, and each time she refused. She didn't know the name of the company but Taggert had heard similar stories, and they all had one thing in common."

Hardison clicked the remote and a company logo appeared. Parker gasped and Nate leaned forward in his seat as they saw the name of the company.

Apollo Homes.

"Isn't that the company that made that deal with the Williams's?" Eliot asked.

Nate nodded. "I was wondering if we'd seen the last of them. Obviously not. Go on, Hardison."

Hardison nodded and clicked his remote again. A map filled the screen and blinking red markers appeared on it. "Taggert emailed me all the information he has. These are the places where similar incidents have occurred. The pattern's the same each time. It's always someone vulnerable, like a single parent or an old person. They get called up by Apollo Homes, who make an offer for their house. If they refuse they get called back the next day. That goes on for a few days and if they continue to refuse the heavy mob gets sent around. While the victims are recovering in hospital Apollo Homes turns up and takes possession." Hardison clicked the remote and some of the red markers turned black. "These are the homes that have already been demolished. The others are listed to be knocked down in the next few weeks."

"Do they always refuse?" Sophie asked.

Hardison shook his head and clicked the remote again. This time green markers appeared on the map. There were significantly more of them than the red ones. "These are the places that agreed to sell. They got paid a fraction of what their homes were worth. Then the crews move in and knock the houses down."

"So what happens to the land?" Eliot asked.

Nate answered the question. "It's sold off for large amounts of money. Much more than the land would normally be worth."

Hardison nodded. "Dirty money would be my guess. It's got money laundering written all over it."

"So where do people like Jonathan and Margaret fit in?" Parker asked.

Nate shrugged. "Occasionally there's too much to move so they have to go through other people, then they take part in the scam to get paid. That way they have just as much to lose if it goes wrong."

"And the attacks are never traced back to the company?" Sophie asked.

Hardison shook his head. "No. There's never any evidence. Local law enforcement always puts it down to local criminal elements."

"So why is Taggert giving all this to you?" Eliot asked.

Hardison sighed. "Taggert has been ordered to drop the investigation. According to him, someone will a lot of authority put pressure on the Division Chief and the Division Chief pulled Taggert from the case."

"Which means there's someone with a lot of power behind this," Nate said. He sat back in his seat. "So what do you want to do, Hardison?"

Hardison smiled but there was no humour in it. "Soon those people will be back to take Nana's home. They'll be expecting it to be empty. And I'll be waiting for them."

"I will too," Parker said with sincerity. Even though she hadn't known Nana for long she still felt a great attachment to the lady. Maybe it was the way she had so readily accepted into the family. All she knew was Nana was more of a mother to her than any of the foster parents she had been to.

"We all will," Sophie said, standing up.

"When do we start?" Eliot asked, impatient for action as usual.

"Tomorrow," Hardison said, "I need to go see Nana tonight."

"I'm coming with you," Parker said in a voice that meant she wouldn't take no for an answer.

...

Hardison felt a lump in his throat as he looked at Nana. She still hadn't regained consciousness and, although the doctors assured him it was just a matter of time before she woke up, he still felt as if she was fading away before his eyes. Parker was gripping his hand tightly and he managed to take some small comfort from that.

"I didn't want you to see her like this."

They turned to see Sandra standing behind them. She had obviously been crying.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Hardison couldn't keep the anger out of his voice.

"Because I knew you would drop everything to come here and I didn't want you to see her like this in case... in case she..." Sandra couldn't finish.

Parker let go of Hardison's hand and wrapped her arms around Sandra in a tight hug. "It's okay. It'll be fine. She'll be fine," she said softly.

Sandra lifted her head up from Parker's shoulder. "How did you find out anyway? I told that FBI guy not to contact you."

"Uh, that is, I..." Hardison started, but he was interrupted by a new voice.

"Miss Hardison? Do you want any coffee? Oh, I'm sorry I..." The voice trailed off as Hardison turned round. Standing behind him was Agent Taggert, holding two cups of coffee.

"Can we talk somewhere?" Hardison said before Taggert could say anything else. Taggert nodded and they both left the room and sat outside in the corridor.

After a long moment of silence Taggert spoke. "So I, uh, I guess you're the brother she mentioned? Alec?"

Hardison sighed but there was no point denying it. "Yeah. Alec Hardison. You can get my rap sheet from Interpol if you want."

Taggert shook his head. "I don't think I want to. Look, I'm sorry I brought you into this. I didn't know."

"That's okay man," Hardison smiled with an effort, "I appreciate it."

"So what are you going to do?" Taggert asked.

"Better you don't know," Hardison replied. Taggert nodded but didn't say anything more.

A thought struck Hardison. "I thought you said you'd been taken off the case? What are you doing here?"

Taggert sighed. "I was on my way home but then I thought that I had to at least make sure that Sandra was okay. The other two kids have gone to stay with one of their other brother's families, but Sandra refused to leave Mrs Hardison's side."

Hardison chuckled. "Yep that's Sandra all right. Look, thanks for doing this, Agent Taggert."

This time it was Taggert's turn to smile. "Jim. My friends call me Jim. I think you've earned that at least."

Hardison nodded. "Jim."

The door opened and Sandra came out. "I, uh, I thought you'd want to sit with her for a bit."

Hardison stood up and entered the room. Parker was still there, sitting on the chair next to Nana's bed. She shuffled up to allow Hardison to sit down. Hardison did so and took Nana's hand in his.

"Don't worry, Nana," he said, feeling the tears threaten to come again, "We'll get the people who did this and we'll make sure you have a house to come back to." He felt Parker's arm snake around him and knew that she was thinking exactly the same.

Sandra and Taggert were standing outside the door, looking in through the window at the scene inside.

"He's a good man, your brother," Taggert said.

Sandra nodded. "He's the best." She turned to look at Taggert. "Do you think things will work out?" she asked him.

Taggert thought about the various times Hardison and his friends had helped him out, under the guise of FBI agents true, but they had pulled off some very amazing things nonetheless.

"I'm certain of it," he told her.

"Good luck Alec,"he silently whispered even though he knew Hardison wouldn't be able to hear him, "Good luck to all of you."

* * *

**A/N Again, not really much to say about this one, except to say that I didn't really have any plans to tie this into the previous sections - it just naturally happened.**

**Bye for now!  
**


	19. Home Sweet Home

**Disclaimer: Leverage is (c) 2009 Leverage Holdings Inc.**

**Home Sweet Home**

"Honey, I'm home!" Parker called as she opened the front door.

Hardison looked up from where he was sitting in the living room, his laptop in front of him. He smiled when he saw her trying to balance three large bags and stood up to help her. He took two of the bags from her arms and put them down on the counter in the kitchen. He reached inside one of them and pulled out the contents. His face fell.

"Seriously?"

In his hand was a large box of breakfast cereal. He looked inside the bag. There were two more boxes still inside. He looked inside the other bag. More cereal.

"What? Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, you know!" Parker came up next to him and put the bag she was still carrying next to the other two. Hardison peeked inside although he knew what would be in there. Sure enough, more cereal.

"Mama, breakfast is the only meal for you!" he said, shaking his head. Parker wrapped her arms around his waist and beamed up at him. Hardison gave in. "I'll get the bowls," he said, reaching for the cupboard.

Parker bounced up and down with glee and soon they were sat on the sofa in the living room, munching cereal and watching TV.

It had been two days since they had visited Laverne in the hospital. She had been discharged the next morning – she had woken up but the doctors insisted that she rest for the next week. One of Hardison's 'brothers' had offered to look after her during that time, and Hardison promised her that he and Parker would look after the house. He promised her that it would still be there when she came back.

Since then Hardison and Parker had more or less moved in, bringing some of their clothes and gear from Hardison's apartment. Even though they were primarily there to make sure that nobody tried to take the house, whether from Apollo Homes or from anywhere else, Hardison found that he was enjoying this taste of normal life with Parker. They updated Nate and the others regularly, but mostly they had the place to themselves.

Hardison looked down at the girl curled up next to him. They had spent nights like this before at Nate's apartment and at their own, but something seemed different this time. It felt... right. That was the only way Hardison could describe it.

Parker's eyes darted to the side and she saw him gazing down at her. She smiled. "What are you thinking about?"

"I'm thinking about how at home you look," Hardison replied, bringing his arm up to stroke her hair.

Parker's smile fell and she lowered her eyes. "I've never felt at home before. Not when I was little. Not when I was moved from house to house. I never got the chance until..."

"Until what?" Hardison prompted gently.

"Until I met you." She raised her eyes again and Hardison saw they were starting to redden. "It's fun being with the others," she continued, "But the only one I want to be with is you."

Hardison tightened his arm around her and kissed her gently on the forehead. She smiled and turned back to the TV.

...

It was early afternoon the next day. They had spent the morning doing 'housey things' as Parker called them, and they were now finishing off their lunch – more cereal – when the doorbell rang.

"I'll go," Hardison said. He opened the front door.

Standing outside was a tall man in his early thirties, long hair tied back in a ponytail, wearing glasses and a dark suit and tie. He was carrying a clipboard. Behind him were three large, heavily built men – _probably ex-bouncers_, Hardison thought.

The man looked at him with a small amount of surprise. "I was expecting Mrs Hardison?"

Hardison's reply was short. "She's away for a few days. I'm looking after the house for her."

"I see," the man said, looking at his clipboard, "And you are?"

"I'm her son."

"Ah, wonderful," the man was obviously trying to be friendly. Hardison noticed that the three thugs behind him were fidgeting. He looked back at the man in front of him as he spoke again. "I'm sure Mrs Hardison told you about the sale of her home?"

Hardison nodded curtly. "She did."

"And...?"

Hardison looked him square in the eyes. "Nana is not selling this house."

"I see." The man closed his clipboard and took his glasses from his face. "That is most unfortunate. I'm sorry, I don't like it when things get messy you see, but my friends here will need to have a discussion with you about the matter." At his words the largest thug stood straight and cracked his knuckles.

Hardison nodded. "Would they. Well, see, my friend there would like to have a discussion with your friends."

The lead thug felt a hand tap his shoulder. Turning, he found himself face to face with Eliot. Eliot smiled at him.

"Hi there," he said brightly and punched the thug with a right hook to his jaw. The other two didn't hesitate, moving in to surround Eliot. Eliot just smirked.

The man in the suit was transfixed by the ensuing fight. As a result he was taken completely by surprise when his arm was grabbed and twisted behind his back, bending him over backwards.

"Maybe you should come in," Parker hissed into his ear. She dragged him inside while Hardison closed the door as the fight continued on outside. He was thrown into a chair in the kitchen and Hardison stood over him.

"Who are you?" he demanded.

The man said nothing.

Hardison tried again. "Who do you work for?"

The man still said nothing. In fact he started laughing.

"You do realise that once my associates finish with your friend outside they'll come straight in here? What they did to that old bat will be nothing compared to what they'll do to you!"

Hardison nearly lunged at him when he described Nana as an old bat, but he was prevented by the kitchen door opening. The man's smirk of triumph quickly disappeared when Eliot stepped through, rubbing at a bruise on his knuckles.

"Did you get your point across?" Hardison asked him.

Eliot nodded. "I had to explain a couple of things once or twice but I think they got the idea." He motioned to the man, whose face was now completely white. "He giving you any trouble?"

Hardison smiled tightly. "He's not giving us anything at all. Maybe you could, uh, tell him why it's a good idea for him to talk?"

Eliot took a step forwards, his body language radiating menace.

"Alright, alright!" the man blurted out. He hung his head. "I phone the people up and organise the sales. If they don't sell I send the others round. I'm just the middleman, I swear!"

"Well you just put my Nana in hospital," Hardison growled, causing the man to gulp.

"I'm telling you I'm just the middleman. I get my orders from someone else!"

"Who?" Parker asked him, her voice just as dangerous.

"I don't know! He calls me on my phone and tells me what houses to get. I get the houses, tell him when it's done, and I get paid."

"You got your phone with you?" Eliot asked. The man nodded and quickly fished his phone out of his pocket. He threw it to Eliot, who snatched it out of the air.

"And when is he going to call you next?" Hardison asked.

"Tonight. Seven. He's always on the dot."

"Alright, go." Eliot nodded to the door. The man didn't move at first but then he slowly rose out of the chair and ran for all he was worth through the door. They heard the front door slam, shortly followed by a crash as he tripped over one of the unconscious thugs outside.

Hardison breathed a sigh of relief. "Thanks man," he said to Eliot.

"Yeah you should be thanking me." Eliot was obviously not happy. "Two days I've been watching from my car. Two days with nothing but cold pizza and wam beer!"

"Well warm beer I can fix." Hardison moved to the fridge and took out a cold bottle of beer, the condensation dripping from it. He threw it to Eliot who caught it and opened it in one smooth motion. He raised it to his mouth and took a long drink from it, sighing in pleasure.

Hardison pulled his earbud from his pocket and inserted it into his ear. "Nate, you read me? We got a lead. Get Sophie and come over here."

...

At fifteen minutes to seven they were sat around the table in the kitchen. Hardison's laptop was open and he was just putting the finishing touches to the setup. He had hooked up the phone to the laptop so that they would all be able to hear what the person on the other end was saying, but only Hardison would actually be able to speak to them. He had also set up a tracer program to find where the call was coming from.

"But won't he be protected against a tracer?" Nate asked.

Hardison just rolled his eyes at him. "Please. Remember who you're talking to!"

Right as the clock turned to seven, the phone rang. Hardison picked it up and put it to his ear.

Before he could say anything a voice came over the loudspeakers. "Johnson! You got that house yet?"

Hardison made sure the tracer was running before he replied. "I'm afraid Johnson is unable to take your call."

"Who is this? Who are you?"

Hardison waited a few seconds before he spoke. "You know, real estate can be a very risky business."

"What do you want?" the voice persisted. "You want money, is that it? You don't know who you're dealing with!"

"Neither, it seems, do you." Hardison spoke slowly, deliberately, giving as much time as possible to the tracer. It finally gave a soft beep, indicating it had found the source of the call. "Be seeing you," Hardison said before turning off the phone.

He put down the phone and sprang into action. "Okay, the call bounced through a few exchanges but it looks like it came from here. Somewhere south-east of Boston."

"What about the voice? Did you recognise it?" Sophie asked.

Hardison shook his head. "It sounded familiar."

Parker clapped her hands. "Isn't it the same person who called up Margaret Williams that time?"

Nate nodded. "That's it. Whoever it is put them up to buying the theatre, and it looks like the same person is buying up houses across the state."

"Let me run it through my voice recognition system." Hardison pushed a few buttons on his laptop, matching both the voice from this call and the voice from the call to Margaret Williams against every major law enforcement database.

After a few minutes a match was found. Hardison looked at it in surprise. "That's strange."

"What is?" Nate asked.

"This match isn't from one of the criminal databases. It's from the CNN website."

"Well play it then," Nate prompted. Hardison brought up the video and they all leaned in to watch.

The video was an old speech by one of Boston's senators, dating from a couple of years ago. It was someone they all knew well, having read in the newspapers about his campaign to improve housing for underprivileged in the state.

"You sure it's him?" Nate asked.

Hardison nodded, bringing up a wave graphic of the senator's speech and the caller's voice. "Voice patterns are a ninety-eight percent match. Allowing for phone distortion, it's him Nate. It's Senator Long."

Nate sat back in his chair. So they would be going up against a senator. He looked over at Hardison. Hardison looked back at him, fire and determination in his eyes. Nate nodded.

It was time to bring this business to an end.

* * *

**A/N It's a bit sobering when you realise what Parker missed out on when she was growing up. So I thought she should have the chance to experience what normal life feels like, if only for a day or so. And I haven't done a fight with Eliot yet so I thought I'd give him a chance to do what he does best - hit people very hard.  
**

**Bye for now  
**


	20. Games Of State

**Disclaimer: Leverage is (c) 2009 Leverage Holdings Inc.**

**Games Of State**

Massachusetts State House – the centre of government for the state of Massachusetts – was rather crowded. The lobby was filled with people who had proposals to submit or grievances to air, civil servants, representatves from foreign dignitaries and tourists standing in awe at the magnificent building.

Into this mass of people slipped Parker, Eliot and Sophie. Each had their own tasks. Sophie was posing as a tourist, a visitor from Europe, and she wandered around loudly proclaiming the architectural delights of the house. She drew a lot of attention from others, which suited Eliot and Parker fine.

Parker was dressed in a business suit, which managed to draw several admiring glances as she glided up to the reception desk. The recepionist – a man barely out of his teens – looked up at her.

"Can I help you Miss...?"

"Tennant," Parker replied, using the same name she had used at the bank. _At least this guy doesn't blink so much_, she thought to herself. Out loud she said, "I have an appointment with Senator Brian Long at eleven o'clock?"

The receptionist looked down to his screen, his fingers flying over the keyboard almost as fast as Hardison's. After a few moments he looked back up at her. "I'm sorry, the Senator does not appear to have any appointments to see anyone today. In fact, the Senator is not present in the house at all. He is attending a conference today."

Parker put a look of disappointment on her face. "Oh, I see. I must have my dates mixed up. Well thanks anyway." She walked away from the receptionist, who immediately went to the next visitor.

...

"Okay, so we know he's out today." Hardison was in the back of his van. Nate was next to him.

"So what are you going to do?" Nate asked.

Hardison smiled. "The usual. Search his office, grab his files, that sort of thing." He looked at his laptop, which he had hooked up to the CCTV cameras. Sophie was still holding the attention of the majority of the people there with her flamboyance. "Okay Eliot? Get us a card."

Eliot acknowledged and Hardison saw him move into view on the screen.

...

Eliot had done this so many times he almost didn't need to think about it. His brain automatically ran through the steps.

First, find a target. A few moments of searching yielded a woman, a secretary by the looks of her, walking into the building with a large cup of coffee in her hand. Her card was in a plastic holder on a cord around her neck. Eliot shook his head. Did these people want to have their cards stolen?

Next, intercept the target. Eliot manoeuvred his way through the crowd and adopted a distracted air as he collided squarely with the woman, knocking the coffee over her jacket.

"Oh, I'm so sorry!" he said apologetically. The woman brushed off his words as she tried to clean up the coffee. "Here, let me, I have tissues," Eliot said and pulled out a packet of tissues from his pocket. He made an effort to help her clean up her jacket, continuing to apologise as he did so.

Third step, steal and clone card. While the lady was distracted with the coffee, Eliot brought his free hand up and swiftly removed the card from the holder. In the same smooth motion he held it down to his waist where his phone would automatically clone the RFID signal. A vibration told him the phone had completed its task and he replaced the card. The whole operation took less than five seconds and the whole time the woman was trying to get rid of the coffee now staining her jacket.

...

Hardison's laptop beeped and a message appeared on the screen.

RECEIVING RFID SIGNAL

"There we go," he said softly, more to himself than to Nate, "Now let's see who you are."

Matching the signal against the security database Hardison learned that the woman was a Miss Mary Summers, that she had been working at Massachusetts State House for the past four months, and that she was Senator Long's personal secretary.

"Looks like we hit the jackpot," Nate said. Hardison nodded.

"Right, Eliot, Parker, we have access to Long's office. Get up there and see what you can dig up."

...

Using the cloned RFID signal held on Eliot's phone, he and Parker were able to enter the office belonging to Senator Long. It was a fairly typical office, with a large United States flag pinned up on the wall behind the desk. On another wall was an old faded black and white photograph of the house, taken sometime during the nineteen-hundreds, before the east and west wings were completed.

Parker sniffed the air. "There's a safe here. The hinges have been recently oiled." She started moving around the room, sniffing the air like a dog on a trail.

Eliot just shook his head at her and sat at the desk. He pulled a USB stick out of his pocket, inserted it into the computer on the desk and turned the computer on. The software held on the stick overrode the computer's own boot sequence and soon the contents of the hard drive were being copied. While that was happening Eliot started searching through the drawers on the desk. He wasn't trying to make a mess this time and so he carefully lifted out the contents, leafed through them and replaced them back in the same place. When he finished with the drawers he started on the various cabinets around the room.

Parker, meanwhile, had found the safe. She was disappointed to find that it was hidden behind the old photograph of the house. "Such a lack of imagination," she muttered to herself as she removed the photo from the wall. Her face brightened when she saw the safe. In contrast to the picture it had been hidden behind the safe was very modern. It looked to be about five years old. On the front was a digital key pad. Parker reached into her pocket and pulled out a small can. She sprayed the contents of the can onto the keypad. After a few moments she shone an ultraviolet light onto the keys. The faint images of fingerprints became visible on some of the keys.

"You carry that light with you as well?" Eliot asked, remembering Hardison had something similar.

"Of course," Parker replied, "Why wouldn't I?"

Eliot shook his head again and went back to his search.

After a few tries Parker found the correct combination of keys and the safe opened. Inside was a large envelope. Parker opened it, removing the papers held within. She took pictures of them with the camera on her phone and replaced them in the safe. Once the safe was closed and locked she transmitted the pictures to Hardison and Nate.

...

Hardison and Nate quickly scanned through the pictures. They would have to read them thoroughly later, but for now they wanted confirmation that this was what they were looking for.

"There, right there." Nate pointed to one section. It detailed the sale of a house in West Brookfield. Hardison pulled up the map of houses that had been sold as part of the money laundering scam. There, just on the edge of West Brookfield, was a marker which indicated the house had been bought after the owner had been hospitalised.

"That's it. Good work you two," Nate said. He turned his head to see Hardison staring at him. Sighing, Nate motioned for Hardison to speak.

"Eliot? Parker? Nice job. Now let's get out of here. Sophie? We're done."

After a few moments they saw Eliot and Parker appear on the CCTV feeds from the lobby. A few seconds after that the three of them exited the building and made their way to the van. Once aboard they returned to the apartment.

...

It was a couple of hours later. They were sat around the table in Nate's apartment, poring over the documents and files retrieved from Senator Long's office.

"It's definitely money laundering. No doubt about it." Nate spoke with the tone of someone who had long experience in that field. The papers held details of every home and every sale, and each one matched up with one of the flags on Hardison's map, whether it was a successful sale or had resulted in an attack on the owner.

"Honestly!" Parker shook her head in disbelief. "If you're going to do something on this scale, why would you write it all down? You might as well hand yourself over to the cops and save the time."

"Unless he had trust issues with his associates," Sophie interjected.

"Well it looks like we have everything we need here to bring him down," Nate said, putting the papers down and turning to Hardison. "You going to turn these over to Taggert?"

Hardison shook his head. "I will but not right now. I want this guy humiliated Nate. Nobody does what he did. Not to my Nana."

"So how are you going to humiliate him?" Eliot asked, "Flood his inbox with dirty spam?"

Hardison turned his laptop around and showed the others what was on the screen. "These are the files you stole from his computer. Nothing interesting for the most part, just the usual governmenty stuff. But it also includes this." He pushed a button and a spreadsheet opened. It looked like a timetable for the next month.

"And what's so special about that?" Eliot asked again.

"Long is going around the state trying to get support for his policy for state-funded housing for the poor," Hardison explained, "It looks like it's part of his cover story. He has a press conference scheduled for next week. National TV will be there along with reporters from every major newspaper and news agency in the country."

"So you want to expose him there?" Nate asked.

Hardison nodded. "It's perfect. The media has this image of him as a champion for the downtrodden. We can show what he really is. It's next week so we've got enough time to make something really special for him."

"So we're going with the same scam we used for that mine? Parker becomes his PA?" Sophie asked. Hardison nodded again.

"Well it sounds good to me," Nate said, "For now though I could use a drink. Who's coming?"

They all put their hands up. As they left the apartment Hardison hung back for a moment. He managed to catch Nate's eye and Nate stayed behind as well.

"I just wanted to say thanks," Hardison said, "Thanks for letting me do this."

Nate smiled and clapped Hardison on his shoulder, "No problem. If it were my mother I'd be the same way." With that they both left and went downstairs to the bar.

...

The next day they began their preparations. Hardison was writing a letter of introduction for Parker's new role as Long's PA. Parker was hunched down looking over his shoulder as he did so. The others were busying themselves with their own tasks.

"What's that?" Parker pointed at an area of the screen. There was an icon there she hadn't seen before.

"It's a link to Long's files. I put it there so I could have easy access to them." Hardison clicked on it and the folder containing the contents of Long's hard drive displayed on the screen. Parker motioned to one of the files right at the bottom.

"That one has a lock on it."

Hardison looked closely at the file she had pointed out. It was surrounded by so many others he hadn't noticed it at first. "You're right, it's encrypted," he said, "Let's see what else he's hiding." He opened a program to break the encryption on the file. Within seconds the file was open and they were both reading it.

Hardison immediately contacted Nate. "Get back here, man, you need to see this."

On the screen in front of them was a series of emails between Long and someone else, in which he detailed the exact route a shipment of gold would take to reach the Federal reserve, along with dates and stops along the way. The emails had been sent about two months ago.

Hardison looked at the recipient of the emails and swore loudly.

The recipient had been none other than Colin Mason.

* * *

**A/N And so we come full circle right back to the beginning of the story.**

**I just want to thank all of you who are reading this and also that updates may be a bit slower now as work is rather hectic. I'll do my best to keep to the usual update schedule but there may be a slip here or there.**

**Thanks again!  
**


	21. Campaign Trail

**Disclaimer: Leverage is (c) 2009 Leverage Holdings Inc.**

**Campaign Trail**

"So Senator Long was in league with Chaos?" Nate asked.

Hardison nodded. It was evening and they were in the bar below the apartment. The revelation that Long had been passing information about the gold shipments to Chaos had been a surprise to all of them. They had moved to the bar to discuss what to do about it.

"I don't think this really changes the situation though," Sophie said. The others looked at her in surprise. "Well it doesn't!" she continued, "Chaos is behind bars."

"Again," Eliot muttered.

Sophie glared at him. "Again," she conceded, "So he's out of the picture. If anything this gives us more ammunition to use against Long."

"It also gives us a time limit," Nate said as he leaned forward over his drink, "Long has the authority to get Chaos released, which I bet he will do as soon as he can."

Hardison nodded in agreement. "We stick to the plan, we have nothing to worry about. Long may even end up in the cell next to Chaos." They all drank to that and spent the rest of the evening finalising their plans.

...

The next day, Parker showed up for work at the Masachussetts State House. Hardison had been unable to get her a position as Senator Long's PA, owing to the fact that he already had one, a young girl in her mid-twenties named Charlotte – that caused a few raised eyebrows among the team – and so instead Parker had been given a job in Long's press office as an intern.

Parker presented her papers at the front desk. She noticed that the same young man as before was on duty, however he didn't seem to recognise her, much to her relief. He only glanced at the name on the top of the forms.

"Miss... Tyler? You're expected. Third floor, second door along."

Parker smiled at him and thanked him, at which he didn't bother to look up, collected her papers and walked to the elevators. There were about five people waiting and they didn't bother to look at her, which suited her fine. The elevator came and they all piled in. Parker was the only one to exit on the third floor. She turned down the corridor and came to the door she had been told about. The plaque on the door read 'Press Office'. Parker knocked on the door.

The door opened after a few seconds to reveal a smiling girl with red hair and an impressive set of teeth. She looked like she was in her early twenties. Parker hated her immediately.

"Hi!" she said brightly. Parker forced herself to not grit her teeth as the girl continued speaking, "I'm Charlotte, Mr Long's PA. You must be Martha?"

Parker nodded. Charlotte smiled even wider. "Come in! Come in!" she said and opened the door fully. Parker entered the office. There were four other people inside – all girls in their mid twenties to early thirties, Parker noticed – and they all seemed to be very busy.

"We're all very busy today," Charlotte explained, "Senator Long is preparing for his press conference next week. He's going to speak about his plan for urban reformation and the need for more affordable housing for those who are underprivileged." The look in her eyes and the monotone sound of her voice told Parker that the words had been memorised from a campaign flyer. Obviously Long didn't employ his staff for their intelligence.

Charlotte pointed Parker to an empty desk at the back of the office. "Now I'm sorry but for the moment you'll just have to find ways to make yourself useful. We'll all be glad of your help." With that she left Parker alone.

Parker assessed her surroundings with the keen eye of the professional thief. The girls didn't seem to be paying much attention to what was happening around them. Every one of them seemed to be fully focussed on the screens in front of them. From what Parker could see this consisted of emails, documents and one online shoe shopping site. The office itself was unremarkable. No hiding places that she could see, no hidden safes, certainly nothing that might be worth opening.

"Excuse me?" a voice from above her said. Parker looked up. The girl had dark hair and a shy-looking face. She held out a folder to Parker. "Could you put this back into the filing cabinet please? I'd do it myself but I'm rather busy at the moment." She left the folder on Parker's desk and walked away. Parker sighed and stood up.

Being an intern was as boring as it sounded, Parker decided. Her morning was spent filing papers, retrieving papers from files, photocopying or scanning them, refiling them, and occasionally getting tea or coffee for the girls. She had to suppress her instinct to rob them blind in order to relieve the monotony.

After lunch Parker was again sitting at her desk, sorting through campaign flyers when Charlotte came over to her. She was holding yet another pile of papers.

"Martha, could you take these through to the Senator please? He should be back by now."

Parker nodded and accepted the papers. She left the office and walked the short distance to the Senator's door. On the way she walked past a door bearing the name 'Mary Summers'. She smiled to herself as she reached Senator Long's door. It was strange to think that not twenty four hours beforehand she and Eliot had broken into this very office. She knocked on the door.

"Enter!" a voice called from within. Parker opened the door with some difficulty, balancing the papers in her other hand, and stepped inside. She saw with satisfaction that the picture hiding the safe was still in the same place she had left it. Either the Senator hadn't noticed or he had assumed the cleaner had moved it.

The Senator himself was talking loudly on the telephone. Parker walked quietly up to his desk and held out the pile of papers. Long indicated an empty space on his desk and Parker put the papers down. Long smiled and nodded at her and she turned to leave the room.

When Parker got to the door she paused for a moment and listened. The Senator was shouting at someone, presumably someone who worked for him.

"I don't care! She'll be there! You know she's out to undermine me! Her and the rag she works for! Just make sure she behaves herself, understand?"

Parker left before he noticed that she was still in the room. She made her way back to the press office.

...

Back at the press office Parker noticed that Charlotte looked stressed. She made a cup of coffee and went over to her.

"You okay?" she asked, offering Charlotte the cup.

Charlotte gratefully accepted. "I'm fine," she said but her voice had lost its brightness, "It's this reporter. Julia Stiles, works for the National Post. She's out to ruin the Senator. Every little thing that happens and she's all over it like a bloodhound. The Senator's worried that she'll disrupt the press conference."

Parker nodded in understanding, but her eyes held a gleam that went unnoticed by Charlotte. A reporter out to bring down Long? That could come in very useful. Very useful indeed.

...

"Julia Stiles."

It was evening and the team were gathered to hear the results of Parker's day. She had told Hardison what she had learned and he had done some research, which was now being displayed on the screens.

A picture of an attractive lady in her late thirties was currently being shown on one side. Down the other side was a list of article headlines she had written.

"Writes mainly for the National Post, but occasionally does some freelance work." Hardison advanced to the next slide, which depicted Julia walking along a road talking on her phone. "Not a remarkable career by any standard, but she does have some peculiarities which are worth noting."

The next slide contained various newspaper headlines, all of which described various scandals and allegations concerning Senator Long.

Sophie couldn't help chuckling. "She doesn't seem to like him very much does she?"

Hardison shook his head. "Definitely not. Can't see any reason why though. She's made it her mission in life to follow up any rumour concerning Long." He clicked to the next slide, which was a photo of Long surrounded by his staff.

"That's why she doesn't like him," Sophie said, pointing, "Look at him, surrounded by young girls! Do we know what she did before she became a reporter?"

"Hang on," Hardison said, tapping buttons on his laptop. He looked up with a smile. "She was Long's PA, then one day he just fired her. The next person to take the job was a younger woman."

"You see?" Sophie said triumphantly, "She wants revenge for getting replaced."

"So what are you thinking, Hardison?" Nate asked, "Leak the stuff we found to her?"

Hardison put his fingers to his chin. That had indeed been his first idea, but then he smiled. "No. She wants rumours. We give them to her." He clicked his remote again. The screens lit up with images of websites. Discussion boards, blogs, forums and similar sprang up.

"And this is?" Eliot asked.

"The biggest source of information known to man." Hardison crossed his arms. "All we have to do is plant a few ideas here and there and let cyberspace do the rest." He smiled, showing his teeth. "Age of the geek, baby!"

...

Two days later the press office was a scene of panic. The girls were running from one desk to another, shouting, and answering phones which were continuously ringing. The moment Parker entered the room Charlotte pounced on her.

"Martha! Thank goodness you're here! We've got a bit of a situation."

"What's going on?" Parker asked, feigning ignorance.

Charlotte shook her head. "Rumours suddenly started flying around the internet about the Senator and his urban renewal campaign! Disgusting rumours! They even suggested the Senator's involved in money laundering. And now we're having to fend off news agencies and other people!"

"But surely the rumours aren't true?" Parker asked, knowing full well that they were.

"That's not the point!" Charlotte was getting hysterical. "It doesn't matter whether they're true or not, which they're not of course, but the point is that they're out there! People are talking about them! This sort of thing could damage the Senator! Mary's going up the wall!"

_Damage him beyond repair hopefully_, Parker thought to herself. Out loud she said, "So what can I do?"

"Just answer the phone and tell people there's no truth to the rumours!" Charlotte ran off as another phone started ringing.

Parker sat down at her desk. Almost on cue her telephone started ringing. She picked up the receiver. "Senator Long's office, how can I help you?"

The voice on the other end belonged to a woman. She sounded like she was in her mid thirties. "Hello, this is Julia Stiles of the National Post. I'm calling with regards to certain... allegations that have been made against Senator Long?"

Parker smiled. Sophie had given her an answer for when Julia Stiles called up. "There is no truth whatsoever to any rumours concerning illegal money laundering activities which Senator Long is alleged to have been involved with and he wishes to categorically deny that any such activities have taken place."

"I see." The voice on the other end fell silent and Parker heard the sounds of a pencil scribbling on paper. "And the allegations of the homeowners being attacked on the Senator's orders?"

"There is no truth whatsoever to any rumours concerning illegal money laundering activities which Senator Long is alleged to have been involved with and he wishes to categorically deny that any such activities have taken place." Parker repeated, making certain that she gave the exact same response.

"And the rumours that his campaign is just a front for a huge scam involving billions of dollars of taxpayers' money?"

"There is no truth whatsoever to any rumours concerning illegal..." Parker started but Julia cut her off.

"Yes, yes, thank you. I think that's everything. You've been most helpful my dear." The line went dead.

Parker put the receiver down and thought about the conversation she had with Sophie the previous night.

_"But won't denying the rumours defeat the purpose?" Parker asked Sophie as the two sat in the bar. Sophie had just told Parker what to say when Julia Stiles called._

_Sophie shook her head. "No, it'll do exactly the opposite. The first rule of scandal is never believe anything until it's been officially denied. You're just officially denying it. Julia Stiles will just lap it all up." She took a sip of her drink before going on. "Now remember, any question she asks, you must give the exact same answer, word for word. It'll sound more like an official statement that way."_

_Parker nodded and took a sip of her own drink._

Parker smiled to herself. Well, the rumours had now been officially denied. All that was left was to let Julia Stiles do what she did best.

With a helping hand from the team of course.

* * *

**A/N And so Hardison's habit of taking aliases from Doctor Who continues with Martha Tyler!**


	22. Endgame

**Disclaimer: Leverage is (c) 2009 Leverage Holdings Inc.**

**Endgame**

The remaining few days before Senator Long's press conference – which by now had grown into a huge event – went by in a blur. For Parker they were the most hectic days she had ever experienced. Ever since the rumours, which Hardison had spent a lot of time carefully planting on various websites, took root it felt like every single politician, news reporter and private citizen had phoned up demanding answers.

After Julia Stiles had rung up and Parker had given her prepared statement, the number of people phoning increased dramatically. At one point Parker and the other girls had a phone in each hand, speaking loudly so as to be heard by both callers. She remembered why she enjoyed thieving more. At least she didn't have to shout as much.

It was gone half-past-eight when Parker finally staggered back into Laverne's house. Hardison was there already. He looked up as she came in.

"Good day at work?" he asked with a smirk.

Parker just grunted and shambled over to the sofa in the living room. She dropped down onto it and immediately curled up and closed her eyes. She felt the cushion move and then Hardison's hand started stroking her hair. She smiled but didn't open her eyes.

"How do people stand it?" she asked, her voice tired. "How do people stand to go to a building and spend the day being shouted at by everyone around them?"

"Don't worry Mama," Hardison said, "After tomorrow it'll all be over and we can go back to stealing from the rich and giving to the poor."

"About time!" Parker huffed, "I need to do something relaxing, like jumping off a high building. You've no idea how much it clears your mind!"

Hardison just laughed. After that there was silence between them. The sound of Parker's steady breathing told Hardison that she had fallen asleep. He gently kissed the side of her head, rose up from the sofa, and went back to his laptop. They were due to meet up with the others at nine o'clock the next morning for what promised to be an extremely busy day.

...

The next morning all five of them were at Nate's apartment, poring over a map of the area of Massachusetts State House in which the press conference would be held. Parker was crunching her way through a bowl of cereal – her fourth that morning. She looked as calm and collected as ever but Hardison could see that she was feeling nervous by the way she ground her teeth as she ate.

"Okay," Hardison began, "So Long will be up here at the lectern."

"You think?" Eliot murmured.

Hardison ignored him and carried on. "The press will be here, the cameras here. Where are you going to be, Parker?"

Parker motioned to one corner of the floor plan with her spoon. "Over here," she said around a mouthful of cereal, "That Mary woman wants us close by but out of sight. She says the newspapers may get a bit distracted by us. No idea what she means by that though." Nate and Eliot shared a glance and a brief grin.

"Okay, Nate, where will you be?" Hardison asked.

Nate pointed to the area reserved for the public. "We'll be here, spread out among the crowd."

Hardison nodded. "And I'll be in the van keeping an eye on the news websites and TV channels."

Eliot snorted. "Saving the hard work for yourself then?"

"Well I'm sorry there won't be anyone for you to beat up!" Hardison retorted. Eliot glared at him but didn't say anything more.

There was nothing else to do now but to wait.

...

At midday the State House was packed with reporters, cameras, the public, everybody had come to see and hear Senator Long. There was an atmosphere of tension so thick it could be tasted. They had all read the websites and forums. They had all seen the newspapers and heard the reports. They had all come to see what Senator Long had to say for himself.

"Okay guys, how are we doing?" Hardison asked over the comms system. He was sitting in the back of his van, his laptops open and monitoring forums and news websites. Every site was focussed on Senator Long and his soon-to-be-delivered speech.

"I'm in position." Parker's voice was no louder than a whisper. In the background Hardison could hear the rest of the girls laughing and chatting.

"We're set as well." Nate, Eliot and Sophie had spread throughout the public gallery. From there they would be able to get a clear view of everything that happened.

"Looks like Julia's making some last minute calls," Sophie murmured. Hardison switched to a CCTV feed from the chamber. Yes, there in the third row was a familar hairstyle. Julia Stiles was indeed on her phone. Presumably she was getting the latest from the rumour mill. Hardison had anonymously sent her some of the evidence they had uncovered to aid in her endeavours.

At twelve-thirty precisely the main doors opened. An official stepped up to the lectern and tapped it to get everyone's attention. "Ladies and gentlemen, Senator Brian Long."

There was a smattering of applause but the tension was still heavy. Senator Long took his place at the lectern. He wiped sweat from his forehead. The last few days had not been kind to him and the stress was showing.

Hardison turned the sound down as Long began his speech. From what he had read it would be boring and would go on forever. He checked the news websites. The speech was being broadcast around the country and the forums were already starting to comment on it.

Hardison turned the sound back up just as Long was finishing. On the screen Long took a deep breath.

"And now, ladies and gentlemen, I will accept any questions."

Julia Stiles shot to her feet before anyone else could react. "Julia Stiles, National Post. Is there any truth to the rumours that this urban renewal scheme is just a front for one of the largest money laundering scams this country has ever seen?"

Long's answer was lost in an uproar from the public gallery. On Hardison's laptops, the forums went into a frenzy.

Long tried to regain order. "There is no truth whatsoever," he said.

Julia produced a folder full of papers. "Then can you explain these files in which you organised the sale of land to a private company – a company which, I might add, doesn't exist – for something like ten times their estimated value?"

Long started to sweat again. "That's outrageous! Those papers are forgeries!"

Julia hadn't finished though. "And I also have evidence here that you used force to intimidate those homeowners who wouldn't sell! I also have written confessions from people recently convicted of attempting to break and enter a theatre that was due to close! Were these atrocities carried out on your orders?"

Hardison sent a silent thank-you to Captain Bonanno, who had been as good as his word and updated Nate on the remaining loose ends from the Odeon Playhouse business, namely the goons who had tried to wreck the theatre before Nate could buy it.

He checked the web sites he was monitoring. The forums had exploded. People were arguing back and forth about what was going on. The news websites were receiving thousands of new views per second. If nothing else the events of today were sure to be remembered by everybody, and people had long memories.

"Long's getting worried," Nate's voice said in his ear. Hardison looked at the images from the chamber. Long was wiping his head more now as he struggled to answer the questions Julia was putting to him.

"Time to move in for the kill," Hardison said out loud as he brought up an email he had spent the last few minutes writing. He pressed the 'Send' button and sat back in his seat to watch.

Julia's phone beeped and she looked at it. Her eyes widened in shock and she looked back up at the Senator. "Senator Long. I have just received an email from an anonymous source. In it they detail a series of correspondence between you and a third party. This correspondence outlines the movements of gold shipments through our country. It describes in detail the movements of the gold through this city, in particular the stopover at First Boston Independent Bank." She looked up as a stunned silence fell over the assembled crowd as the implications sank in. She paused for a moment and then carried on. "The dates correspond to the explosion at the bank in which the gold was stolen and many people were injured. The person with whom you were corresponding is one Colin Mason."

That did it. The chamber erupted in anger as everybody started shouting. In the midst of it all stood Senator Long, looking pale and terrified. He quickly left the chamber.

Julia Stiles nodded in satisfaction. "Got you at last," she said.

...

The top news story that evening concerned the arrest of Senator Brian Long for extortion and fraud, among other charges. The team were celebrating in the bar, drinking and watching the story on the TV. Hardison received a text message on his phone and opened it. It simply said _Thanks. JT._

Parker's phone suddenly rang. She excused herself and went outside to answer it.

"I know you were part of it," Charlotte's voice sounded heavy. "I just want to know why."

"He hurt my mother," was all Parker said. She ended the call, looked up to the sky and smiled, feeling a great weight lift from her shoulders.

Hardison came outside after a few minutes. The look on her face as she smiled at him was something he would always remember.

"You all right, Cerys?" he asked her.

Parker nodded. "I'm fine." She leaned into him as he wrapped his arm around her waist and together they looked up at the night sky, watching the stars appear.

...

The next day Laverne Hardison returned to her house, escorted by Andy – one of the many boys who had been under her care over the years and who had been only too glad to repay the favour. She was still walking a bit uncertainly as her body had still not fully healed, but she knew it was time for her to return home when Hardison called her and said that everything had been sorted.

The house was in darkness when she entered. Laverne fumbled for the light switch and turned it on.

"Surprise!"

Laverne couldn't believe her eyes. There were a dozen people packed into her living room, all wearing party hats and blowing streamers. A banner over the room read 'WELCOME HOME NANA'. Laverne felt her eyes welling up as Hardison and Parker came forward to take her arms.

"You didn't have to do all this for me you silly boy!" she scolded him.

Hardison grinned. "Are you serious, Nana? Why wouldn't we?" With Parker's help he brought Nana into the room and sat her down on the armchair.

"Oh Nana, there are some people I'd like you to meet." Hardison motioned Nate, Eliot and Sophie over. "Nana, this is Nathan, Eliot and Sophie. Guys, this is my Nana." There was a definite note of pride in his voice.

"Mrs Hardison, it's a pleasure to meet you." Nate stepped forward and shook her hand. Laverne couldn't think of anything to say as she was too caught up in her emotions.

Sophie came forward next. "Alec's told us so much about you. I'm glad we were able to help."

Eventually she found her voice. "Thank you. Thank you for what you've done. I thought I was going to lose this house."

Eliot smiled. "It's what we do," he said simply.

"Well I just want you to know that you're all welcome here anytime." Laverne smiled widely at them all.

Nate smiled back. "Thank you. Come on guys, I think Parker and Hardison need a moment." He gently pulled Eliot and Sophie back.

Laverne turned to Hardison. "Thank you so much for taking care of this place while I was gone."

Hardison grinned. "Well I didn't do it all by myself." He looked meaningfully at Parker.

Laverne smiled. "I bet. I'm so happy for you both. Now come here and give your old Nana a hug." She held out her arms and embraced both Hardison and Parker tightly as the party continued on around them.

* * *

**A/N Not really anything to say about this one except that I nearly completely forgot about those guys from chapter 15 who tried to wreck the theatre. Whoops!**

**I'm going to wrap this story up soon. A couple more chapters to bring it to a close and then that will be it. Many thanks to all of you who have been reading so far!  
**


	23. The Biggest Job Of All

**Disclaimer: Leverage is (c) 2009 Leverage Holdings Inc.**

**The Biggest Job Of All**

Hardison was nervous. In fact he was terrified.

In all his time with Nate and the others he had been shot at, nearly blown up, almost drowned, arrested, kidnapped, pushed off a tall building and so much more, but he had never, ever been in a situation like this before.

He swallowed and strode purposefully up to the table in the bar at which Nate was currently sitting. They had not had any jobs since the Apollo Homes business, nearly two weeks ago. In that time life had more or less reverted to normal. Hardison and Parker had moved back into his apartment, and Laverne and the children had returned to their house. He smiled at the memory of Bobby and Franny running forward to hug Nana. The smile faded as he remembered what he had come to talk to Nate about.

Nate didn't look up when Hardison approached. Instead his gaze was fixed firmly on the television set over the counter. The news channels were still dealing with the fallout from Senator Long's arrest and trial. It seemed the Senator had been up to more than what they had uncovered, but that was now a matter for the police.

Hardison was too nervous to make a noise to attract Nate's attention. Instead he waited until Nate turned and saw him.

"Hardison? What do you want? I thought you would be at home with Parker," Nate said, putting down his drink.

Hardison sat down in the chair opposite Nate. "Actually man, that's kind of what I wanted to talk to you about. See, I remember you telling me that she's like a daughter to you and if I ever hurt her you'd make sure I regretted it."

Nate's eyes narrowed. "What have you done? You haven't hurt her have you?"

Hardison quickly shook his head. "No man. Not yet, I... No I haven't done anything."

"Then what's the problem?" Nate asked, giving Hardison his full attention.

Hardison suddenly found his mouth drying up. "I, uh, I wanted to ask your permission, as her sort-of-father, I wanted to ask your permission to marry Parker."

Nate's eyes widened. "You're serious? Marry Parker?"

Hardison bowed his head. "I know, I know, it's a bad idea. Forget I said anything."

Nate smiled. "No, no it's not that." He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "I'm happy for you both. Really I am. Have you asked her yet?"

Hardison shook his head. "No not yet. My Nana raised me to do things the proper way. I'm supposed to ask the father first before asking the girl."

"Well I'm... I'm... I'm... very flattered that you'd want to talk to me first," Nate said, "And I'm more than happy to give you my permission. But I think there's someone else you should ask."

"Who?" Hardison asked.

...

It was now a few hours later, at a different bar. This time the man sitting at the table Hardison was approaching had grey hair and was wearing a light brown overcoat. Even from this angle Hardison could see the lines on his face that spoke of age. He looked up as Hardison reached the table.

"You said you wanted to talk to me?" Archie Leach said, motioning to the seat opposite him.

Hardison sat down, feeling like a school boy facing the headmaster for something he'd done wrong. Archie's eyes bored into him. He swallowed.

"I, uh, I want to talk to you about Parker." His nervousness came through in his voice.

"My little girl? What's she done now? Is she okay?" Archie leaned forward.

Hardison quickly nodded. "Yes, she's fine. I... I wanted to ask your permission to marry her."

For a long moment Archie was silent. Then he started laughing. "Marry Parker? Marry my little girl?" He stopped laughing then gazed at Hardison. "Well that's an admirable notion but why, if you don't mind me asking, do you want to marry her?"

"Because I love her." The words came out almost automatically. As soon as they were spoken Hardison felt his nerves disappear and his voice became strong, confident. "I love her more than anything. I treasure every moment I'm with her and I want to be with her for the rest of my life. I'd never leave her or hurt her. I'd give her everything I have and everything I am. I love her."

Their gazes locked for a few seconds, then Archie looked down and sighed. "I believe you. Maybe someday you'll have a daughter and then someone will ask to marry her and then you'll feel what I'm feeling now." He looked back up at Hardison. "It's hard for a father to agree to give up his daughter, even if the man asking is sincere. All he can do is trust that the man will be true to his word."

"So...?" Hardison asked.

Archie sighed again and slowly nodded. "Yes. Yes, I give my permission. You may ask Parker to marry you."

Hardison felt elated. He grabbed Archie's hand and pumped it up and down enthusiastically before Archie managed to pull it away.

"Thank you sir! Thank you so much!" Hardison said over and over again.

Archie laughed again. "Keep that up and I might change my mind!" The twinkle in his eye told Hardison he was joking.

Hardison stood up to leave. Then a thought occurred to him. He turned back to Archie. "The way you were talking just now... Parker isn't really your actual daughter, is she?"

Archie said nothing but just smiled at him. Hardison took the hint and left. He had some preparations to make.

...

The next evening Hardison made his move.

He and Parker were in McRory's bar. They were sitting at a table in a quiet corner, just drinking and chatting and enjoying themselves. Then Parker suddenly turned and looked overat the bar and asked the question Hardison knew she would ask.

"I wonder if they have any pretzels?"

"I'll go and find out. Wait right here Mama." Hardison got up from his seat and walked over to the bar. His heart was pounding. This was it. He got to the bar and signalled the barmaid, who on this particular night happened to be Cora McRory, the owner of the bar.

She smiled as she came over. "Yes? What can I get you?"

"Do you have any... pretzels?" Hardison asked, putting an emphasis on the word 'pretzels'. Cora smiled again and reached below the counter. She produced a small bag of pretzels. This was no ordinary bag however, as Hardison had handed it to her some hours earlier with instructions to keep it hidden and safe.

Hardison accepted the bag and paid Cora the appropriate amount of money. For good measure he also bought two more drinks. Carrying the items on a tray, he returned to his table. Parker was waiting expectantly.

"Here you go." Hardison handed her one of the drinks and the pretzels. Parker smiled happily as she opened the bag and, without looking, started to eat the contents. Hardison was getting more and more nervous by the second. The anticipation was starting to kill him. The sounds as Parker crunched her way through pretzel after pretzel seemed to him to be amplified a thousand times.

Then she suddenly froze and a thoughtful look appeared on her face. Still not looking down she felt around inside the bag.

"Hmm... that's strange! Eighteen carat ring with... yes it's definitely a one carat diamond! How on earth did that get in here? Maybe someone at the pretzel factory dropped it?" Parker pulled her hand out and finally looked down at the diamond ring she held in it. She gasped.

"It's beautiful!" she exclaimed. She looked up at Hardison. "Alec?" she asked.

Hardison took a deep breath. Reaching across the table he gently took the ring from her hand. "Cerys," he started, and he hated how nervous his voice sounded, "The last few months with you have been the best of my life and I've realised that I never want you to go. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Cerys," he looked her straight in the eyes as he finally came to the question he had wanted to ask for a long time, "Will you marry me?"

For a long minute Parker didn't move. Then, without a word, she stood up from the table, turned and ran from the bar into the night.

Hardison was left at the table, still clutching the ring.

...

How long Parker ran for she didn't know. She didn't even know why she had run away in the first place. She barely even heard Hardison's words. All she knew was that her first instinct was to run and she obeyed it, like she always had done.

She didn't even really know where she was. The city looked a lot different at night. She walked down the street, her head down, thinking about what had happened.

Hardison had asked her to marry him. Why had he done that? She knew that she loved him and he loved her but getting married? That was something that had never occurred to her. It was something she never thought about or even wanted to think about. After all marriage led to being parents, and being parents led to kids, and that led to pain and problems. She knew, because she had been through it as a child.

Parker eventually stopped outside what looked like another bar. It looked fairly empty. She opened the door and went in.

The bar was indeed empty. There were only one or two customers inside. The lighting was fairly dim. The only staff member was a lady who looked to be in her mid-forties. She looked up as Parker entered and smiled.

"Hello dearie, what can I get you?"

Parker walked up to the main bar and sat on one of the stools. "Beer and pret... prawn crisps please." She had been about to ask for pretzels but the memory of what had just happened was still too vivid. The barmaid smiled and poured her a beer.

"So what brings you out here at this time of night?" she asked.

Parker sighed. "My boyfriend just asked me to marry him."

The barmaid smiled even wider. "Congratulations!" The smile then disappeared. "But then why are you here and not with him celebrating?"

"I don't know what to do." Parker said softly. She just stared at her drink.

The barmaid sighed and put her arms on the bar. "You don't know what to do? You say yes of course!"

"But what if it doesn't work out?" Parker asked. She could feel tears pricking the corner of her eyes.

The barmaid sighed again. "Look, dearie, that's not something you can know. Do you love him?"

Parker nodded.

"Does he love you?"

Parker nodded again.

"Then there won't be any problems. As long as you love each other, that's all you need. You take the rest as it comes."

Parker looked up at her. "Do you really think so?"

The barmaid smiled warmly. "Dearie, I was exactly the same as you when my husband proposed to me. We've had to work at it at times but we're still together after twenty years. Go on." She motioned to the door. "Go back to him. You need him as much as he needs you."

Parker smiled at her and left the bar. She left her drink and crisps untouched on the counter.

...

Hardison was sitting on the sofa in his apartment, his head in his hands, the ring on the table in front of him.

"What did I do wrong?" he murmured to himself, replaying the events over and over in his mind.

_I am such an idiot_, he thought, _She'll probably never come back now. Why did I have to go and ruin everything?_

He didn't hear the window opening or feel the cold breeze momentarily blow through the apartment. He did however feel the arms that wrapped themselves around his chest and the head that buried itself in his shoulders.

"Ask me again." The voice came from behind him.

Hardison span round in the sofa. Parker was crouching down behind him. After a few moments he found his voice.

"Wha... what?" he stammered.

"Ask me again." Parker lifted her eyes to look into his and he saw nothing there but love. Hardison picked up the ring from the table and held it out to her.

"Cerys, will you marry me?" he asked, hardly daring to hope.

Parker smiled broadly and nodded. "Yes! Yes I will!"

Hardison whooped and put the ring onto her finger. She clambered over the back of the sofa and landed next to him. The moment she was sitting down she kissed him.

When they eventually pulled apart Hardison held the hand that now wore the ring. They both gazed at it and watched as it glittered in the light.

_Sometimes it's even better._

**The End**

* * *

**A/N And there it is. I was going to make this into two chapters but it wasn't really happening.**

**So yeah, many thanks for reading this, and if you're someone who waits for a story to be completed before you read it (I'm like that myself) then I hope it was worth the wait.**

**Check out my other stories as well while you're at it!**

**Byeee and thanks again!**


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